The meal plan for this week is heavy with seasonal produce from our CSA box: beets, butternut squash, blue potatoes, radishes, asparagus. A small holdover from winter (the squash) with lots of tastes of spring!
I've also planned the meals this week so that two recipes use kalamata olives and feta cheese (the chick pea stew and the winter salad). These are not products I buy often, so when I do I want to make sure they get eaten up.
Sunday: beet ravioli
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: slow cooker char siu pork roast (this was my plan for yesterday, but we ended up doing dinner with my parents instead)
Wednesday: slow cooker chick pea stew
Thursday: winter salad with butternut squash (with lettuce instead of radicchio)
Friday: slow cooker whole chicken with potato Caesar salad
Saturday: asparagus frittata
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Weekly Meal Plan 3.9.14
Sunday once more, so time for some meal planning. Friends and family have made this week a bit easy on me, with two nights where we don't need to plan dinners. It's great when that happens! Plus spending time with friends and family is always nice.
Sunday: stew dinner with friends (we'll bring a dessert, maybe something using the oranges from yesterday's Village Harvest event)
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: carrot ginger soup (last week's plans changed, and this never was made; time for take two!)
Wednesday: dinner out with Sean's family
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: real food sloppy joes
Saturday: slow cooker Char Siu Pork Roast
Sunday: stew dinner with friends (we'll bring a dessert, maybe something using the oranges from yesterday's Village Harvest event)
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: carrot ginger soup (last week's plans changed, and this never was made; time for take two!)
Wednesday: dinner out with Sean's family
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: real food sloppy joes
Saturday: slow cooker Char Siu Pork Roast
Monday, March 3, 2014
Conservation Monday #5: Reducing Waste in Other Rooms
It's Monday, which means it's once again time to share some conservation/waste reduction tips!
The last two weeks, we've looked at some ways to reduce waste in the kitchen and the bathroom. For us, these two rooms are the biggest waste generators. But today let's look at some other areas of the house where you may be able to cut down your waste and conserve resources.
2. Minimize Clutter. Again, not exactly a waste stream issue, but by reducing clutter you will save time cleaning and organizing.
3. Use Blankets instead of a Heater. If you live in a mild enough climate (this may not necessarily work for you if you have inches of snow on the ground!) pile up the blankets and leave the heater off. You'll save energy, which in turn reduces your electric or gas bill.
2. Print Judiciously. It's very easy to get into the habit of printing out everything. But if you only print out the files that you truly need a hard copy of, you will reduce paper usage and reduce your need for storage.
3. Sell Old Books. If you have old books you aren't going to read again, sell them to your favorite used book store. One of my favorite used book stores will even pay you more if you take store credit rather than cash. Since I always find great art/architecture/theater reference books there, I'll happily trade old fiction for more long-term resources!
2. Rent/Borrow vs Buy. This applies to movies, books, even video games. By renting movies and TV shows (from either a physical rental place, or Netflix) you have access to lots of media without having to purchase it. This can save you money, save space, and reduce the amount of packaging that enters the waste stream from producing all those DVDs. Borrowing from friends is also a great resource, and free!
Your local library is also an amazing resource. I haven't bought many new books in the last couple years (when I have, it's primarily been for school) as our public library is so extensive. Some people also borrow movies from the library; personally I haven't had the best of luck with this as DVDs are often scratched. However I have had excellent luck borrowing music and books on tape from the library.
3. Use those Blankets! Just like the bedroom, blankets can be used to keep warm instead of a heater. I enjoy curling up on the couch with a cozy throw blanket while reading or watching TV. If your heater can get noisy like ours, you want to avoid using it while watching TV anyway!
Of course, if you have any other suggestions for reducing waste in any of these areas, please share in the comments!
The last two weeks, we've looked at some ways to reduce waste in the kitchen and the bathroom. For us, these two rooms are the biggest waste generators. But today let's look at some other areas of the house where you may be able to cut down your waste and conserve resources.
Bedroom
1. Get Rid of Old Clothes. While you may not think of old clothes sitting in the closet as "waste," they are certainly wasting your space if you are not wearing them! If items are in good enough condition, and you have the time, you may be able to sell them online, to a place like Plato's Closet, or through another consignment store. Otherwise, donate! Free up that closet or drawer space for the clothes that you actually do wear.2. Minimize Clutter. Again, not exactly a waste stream issue, but by reducing clutter you will save time cleaning and organizing.
3. Use Blankets instead of a Heater. If you live in a mild enough climate (this may not necessarily work for you if you have inches of snow on the ground!) pile up the blankets and leave the heater off. You'll save energy, which in turn reduces your electric or gas bill.
Home Office
1. Junk Mail. It's so easy to let papers just come into the house, and then what do you do with them? Hopefully you're able to toss them in the recycling, though there are those pesky ads that have some plastic coating on them preventing recycling. But wouldn't it be better to stop the junk from ever coming into the house? The Federal Trade Commission website shows you some ways to opt out of unwanted mailings (and phone calls!). DMA Choice also allows you to opt out of certain unwanted mailings.2. Print Judiciously. It's very easy to get into the habit of printing out everything. But if you only print out the files that you truly need a hard copy of, you will reduce paper usage and reduce your need for storage.
3. Sell Old Books. If you have old books you aren't going to read again, sell them to your favorite used book store. One of my favorite used book stores will even pay you more if you take store credit rather than cash. Since I always find great art/architecture/theater reference books there, I'll happily trade old fiction for more long-term resources!
that top shelf has a nice hole in the sea of books - the former residents are in a box waiting to be sold, and read by someone new
Living Room
1. Reduce clutter. Once again, clutter reduction saves time and effort when it comes to cleaning.2. Rent/Borrow vs Buy. This applies to movies, books, even video games. By renting movies and TV shows (from either a physical rental place, or Netflix) you have access to lots of media without having to purchase it. This can save you money, save space, and reduce the amount of packaging that enters the waste stream from producing all those DVDs. Borrowing from friends is also a great resource, and free!
Your local library is also an amazing resource. I haven't bought many new books in the last couple years (when I have, it's primarily been for school) as our public library is so extensive. Some people also borrow movies from the library; personally I haven't had the best of luck with this as DVDs are often scratched. However I have had excellent luck borrowing music and books on tape from the library.
3. Use those Blankets! Just like the bedroom, blankets can be used to keep warm instead of a heater. I enjoy curling up on the couch with a cozy throw blanket while reading or watching TV. If your heater can get noisy like ours, you want to avoid using it while watching TV anyway!
you can see my pile of blankets on the stool above
Of course, if you have any other suggestions for reducing waste in any of these areas, please share in the comments!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Weekly Meal Plan 3.2.14
Once again, it's time to share our meal plan for the week!
Sunday: Mustardy Pork Chops with Acorn Squash
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Broccoli Pasta
Wednesday: Carrot Ginger Soup
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine
Saturday: homemade pizza
The Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine has become a favorite recipe, and works well with chicken too. This week we'll be using a small leg of lamb that came in our meat CSA box, and serving it with some artichokes from our veggie CSA.
Sunday: Mustardy Pork Chops with Acorn Squash
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Broccoli Pasta
Wednesday: Carrot Ginger Soup
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine
Saturday: homemade pizza
The Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine has become a favorite recipe, and works well with chicken too. This week we'll be using a small leg of lamb that came in our meat CSA box, and serving it with some artichokes from our veggie CSA.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Package of Meat (or, why we started using a meat CSA)
We joined a fruit and vegetable CSA about a year and a half ago, back when we moved into our condo. While some people argue that you can get better deals on produce at the Farmer's Market, as graduate students we have found the convenience of delivered veggies to be irreplaceable. For those in Northern California who are curious, we use Farm Fresh to You. The big reason why we chose them is the ability to completely customize the delivery schedule. Depending on how busy we are in a given month, we get deliveries either every other week or every 3 or even 4 weeks (filling in with visits to the Farmer's Market between box deliveries). We also enjoy the discovery of new vegetables we might not otherwise try, and I enjoy the challenge of eating with the seasons and using up everything we have. Without a CSA box, would I have learned so many ways to eat leeks? I doubt it.
Recently we joined another CSA group -- a meat one. These are not as common as the produce CSAs, and it took quite a bit of research to find one that met our needs. (If you're in the Bay Area, the one we settled on is Marin Sun Farms.)
Why did we decide to sign up for a once a month delivery of meat? We have been discussing on and off the problems with conventionally raised meat animals. The horrors of factory farms turn my stomach and make me sad. I completely understand why some people choose to become vegetarian, but, while I frequently will do meatless days, a completely meatless diet isn't for us.
I was buying organic chicken at the store, and organic grass fed beef...but while that helps, distributors still try to keep costs down for chain grocery stores so it's not always the most humane choice.
We started buying meat at the Farmer's Market, which was nice because we could chat with the farmers and know that the meat was organic and came from animals who were allowed to free range or pasture. But, again with our unpredictable schedules, sometimes we couldn't make it to the Farmer's Market. Or we would get there later and the more cost effective cuts would be sold out.
We had been researching meat CSAs on and off for months, but finally made the jump with the new year. Here are the points that caused us to choose Marin Sun Farms:
1. Local, pasture raised livestock. While their farms are not certified organic (which can be costly for the farm) they do guarantee that their livestock are never fed antibiotics or growth hormones. Most importantly for us, the livestock live in pastures for most of the year, and are treated humanely.
2. Ability to get only the amount of meat we need. Some meat CSAs use the old model of customers paying an upfront sum, then receiving a half a cow when processing time comes. This wouldn't work for us, since we only have a small freezer! With this CSA we get about 6lbs of meat per month at a monthly rate. If we know we won't be available to pick up our box, we can call ahead of time to cancel that delivery.
3. Variety. This first box, we received about 1lb each of ground lamb, pork, and beef as well as a small leg of lamb, a pork butt shoulder and two pork chops. I like this variety because we will never get bored with the meat in the freezer. And who knows what we will receive next month?
Here's a good article about meat CSAs : link
Another benefit of this CSA is the reduced packaging. Yes, everything is vacuum sealed in plastic. But there are none of those extra Styrofoam trays, or the weird absorbing things that sometimes are packaged under meat at the grocery store. The cardboard box everything comes in is recyclable or reusable. So, per pound of meat, we are throwing less in the garbage than if we were buying conventional meat at the grocery store.
Those are my thoughts on our meat CSA so far. I'll be digging into the ground pork this weekend for our Baked Eggs with Kale dinner, so I'm quite excited about that!
Do you have any experience with CSAs, produce or meat? Please share in the comments!
*Neither Farm Fresh to You nor Marin Sun Farms has anything to do with my writing of this post. Eating locally and Community Supported Agriculture is just something that I've become quite interested in and I wanted to share my experiences thus far.*
Recently we joined another CSA group -- a meat one. These are not as common as the produce CSAs, and it took quite a bit of research to find one that met our needs. (If you're in the Bay Area, the one we settled on is Marin Sun Farms.)
Why did we decide to sign up for a once a month delivery of meat? We have been discussing on and off the problems with conventionally raised meat animals. The horrors of factory farms turn my stomach and make me sad. I completely understand why some people choose to become vegetarian, but, while I frequently will do meatless days, a completely meatless diet isn't for us.
I was buying organic chicken at the store, and organic grass fed beef...but while that helps, distributors still try to keep costs down for chain grocery stores so it's not always the most humane choice.
We started buying meat at the Farmer's Market, which was nice because we could chat with the farmers and know that the meat was organic and came from animals who were allowed to free range or pasture. But, again with our unpredictable schedules, sometimes we couldn't make it to the Farmer's Market. Or we would get there later and the more cost effective cuts would be sold out.
our first meat box delivery
We had been researching meat CSAs on and off for months, but finally made the jump with the new year. Here are the points that caused us to choose Marin Sun Farms:
1. Local, pasture raised livestock. While their farms are not certified organic (which can be costly for the farm) they do guarantee that their livestock are never fed antibiotics or growth hormones. Most importantly for us, the livestock live in pastures for most of the year, and are treated humanely.
2. Ability to get only the amount of meat we need. Some meat CSAs use the old model of customers paying an upfront sum, then receiving a half a cow when processing time comes. This wouldn't work for us, since we only have a small freezer! With this CSA we get about 6lbs of meat per month at a monthly rate. If we know we won't be available to pick up our box, we can call ahead of time to cancel that delivery.
3. Variety. This first box, we received about 1lb each of ground lamb, pork, and beef as well as a small leg of lamb, a pork butt shoulder and two pork chops. I like this variety because we will never get bored with the meat in the freezer. And who knows what we will receive next month?
Here's a good article about meat CSAs : link
Another benefit of this CSA is the reduced packaging. Yes, everything is vacuum sealed in plastic. But there are none of those extra Styrofoam trays, or the weird absorbing things that sometimes are packaged under meat at the grocery store. The cardboard box everything comes in is recyclable or reusable. So, per pound of meat, we are throwing less in the garbage than if we were buying conventional meat at the grocery store.
Those are my thoughts on our meat CSA so far. I'll be digging into the ground pork this weekend for our Baked Eggs with Kale dinner, so I'm quite excited about that!
Do you have any experience with CSAs, produce or meat? Please share in the comments!
*Neither Farm Fresh to You nor Marin Sun Farms has anything to do with my writing of this post. Eating locally and Community Supported Agriculture is just something that I've become quite interested in and I wanted to share my experiences thus far.*
Monday, February 24, 2014
Conservation Monday #4: Reducing Waste in the Bathroom
Once again, welcome to my weekly Conservation Monday series!
In keeping with last week's focus on the kitchen, I decided to focus on conservation in the bathroom this week.
In my posts about conserving water, I've already discussed the idea of reusing the shower water for plants. Today, let's look at a few other changes you can make to conserve resources in the bathroom (listed in no particular order)
1. Toilet paper.
There are a few different ways you can reduce waste with regards to toilet paper. Some people have adopted the idea of "family cloth" which is a washable wipe rather than disposable toilet paper. (The linked website has a good explanation of family cloth.) This is not something I'm personally willing to do at this point, due to laundry situations in our building, and the fact that with grad school thesis I really don't need yet another cleaning chore around the house!
However, I do look for brands that use minimal packaging. I don't need each roll individually wrapped! In some areas you can also find toilet paper with a certain percentage of post-consumer recycled material, which can be a great choice. My rule for buying toilet paper from eco-friendly brands is that it must be just as soft and efficient as my preferred "standard" brand. If I have to use extra sheets of the eco-friendly brand because it's not doing as good of a job, it's not really saving resources.
2. Brushing teeth.
If you are one of the people who still run water the entire time you're brushing your teeth, take this moment to finally stop the water waste! Personally, growing up in California where we have always been taught to be water conscious, I've never met someone who runs water the whole time. I just wet the toothbrush at the beginning, then use water to rinse at the end. So I'm not sure if it's something that is still done, but if you do this is seriously one of the easiest ways to conserve water!
3. If it's yellow, let it mellow.
This may be more of a drought-specific tip for the bathroom, but it can save some serious water! Please excuse the details (but hey, you've made it this far in a post about the bathroom) but on days when I'm feeling fully hydrated I can pee multiple times, and it's fairly clear. Gallons of water just to flush down some nearly clear pee? No thank you! I'll be saving that water.
Now, when I have guests over, I do make sure to flush before they arrive! Since we're not on water restrictions yet I figure politeness can trump a single flush.
4. Shorter showers.
If you're in an area with limited water, learn to take "Navy showers" where you turn the water on to get wet, then turn it off while you soap up. Turn it back on just to rinse off, then hop out.
Droughts are no time for luxurious long showers or baths. I miss a relaxing bath as much as the next lady, but unless you're bailing all that water out into a garden afterwards it is wasteful in these conditions.
Even if you're not suffering from California's current drought, shorter showers can still save you water and money. Shave just one minute off your shower, and you can save about 2 gallons per day! That's 14 gallons in a week that isn't running down the drain.
5. Ditch the disposable cleaners.
Disposable wipes have become ubiquitous. Their ads claim that they are more sanitary than reusable rags, but what so many commercials fail to take into account is that you're supposed to toss used rags into the laundry rather than use a soiled cloth to wipe down your baby's high chair!
Honestly, since simplifying my cleaners and swapping out for primarily organic options, we have been sick even less. I use rags for every cleaning job, hang them up in the shower to dry out then toss them in the laundry basket. Rags get washed together (with paint clothes) roughly once a week in hot water. It's simple, keeps worn out clothes from heading to the landfill, and prevents all those disposable wipes from ever entering our house.
What other tips do you have for reducing waste of any kind in the bathroom? Please share in the comments!
Waste Not Want Not Wednesday
In keeping with last week's focus on the kitchen, I decided to focus on conservation in the bathroom this week.
In my posts about conserving water, I've already discussed the idea of reusing the shower water for plants. Today, let's look at a few other changes you can make to conserve resources in the bathroom (listed in no particular order)
1. Toilet paper.
There are a few different ways you can reduce waste with regards to toilet paper. Some people have adopted the idea of "family cloth" which is a washable wipe rather than disposable toilet paper. (The linked website has a good explanation of family cloth.) This is not something I'm personally willing to do at this point, due to laundry situations in our building, and the fact that with grad school thesis I really don't need yet another cleaning chore around the house!
However, I do look for brands that use minimal packaging. I don't need each roll individually wrapped! In some areas you can also find toilet paper with a certain percentage of post-consumer recycled material, which can be a great choice. My rule for buying toilet paper from eco-friendly brands is that it must be just as soft and efficient as my preferred "standard" brand. If I have to use extra sheets of the eco-friendly brand because it's not doing as good of a job, it's not really saving resources.
2. Brushing teeth.
If you are one of the people who still run water the entire time you're brushing your teeth, take this moment to finally stop the water waste! Personally, growing up in California where we have always been taught to be water conscious, I've never met someone who runs water the whole time. I just wet the toothbrush at the beginning, then use water to rinse at the end. So I'm not sure if it's something that is still done, but if you do this is seriously one of the easiest ways to conserve water!
3. If it's yellow, let it mellow.
This may be more of a drought-specific tip for the bathroom, but it can save some serious water! Please excuse the details (but hey, you've made it this far in a post about the bathroom) but on days when I'm feeling fully hydrated I can pee multiple times, and it's fairly clear. Gallons of water just to flush down some nearly clear pee? No thank you! I'll be saving that water.
Now, when I have guests over, I do make sure to flush before they arrive! Since we're not on water restrictions yet I figure politeness can trump a single flush.
4. Shorter showers.
If you're in an area with limited water, learn to take "Navy showers" where you turn the water on to get wet, then turn it off while you soap up. Turn it back on just to rinse off, then hop out.
Droughts are no time for luxurious long showers or baths. I miss a relaxing bath as much as the next lady, but unless you're bailing all that water out into a garden afterwards it is wasteful in these conditions.
Even if you're not suffering from California's current drought, shorter showers can still save you water and money. Shave just one minute off your shower, and you can save about 2 gallons per day! That's 14 gallons in a week that isn't running down the drain.
5. Ditch the disposable cleaners.
Disposable wipes have become ubiquitous. Their ads claim that they are more sanitary than reusable rags, but what so many commercials fail to take into account is that you're supposed to toss used rags into the laundry rather than use a soiled cloth to wipe down your baby's high chair!
Honestly, since simplifying my cleaners and swapping out for primarily organic options, we have been sick even less. I use rags for every cleaning job, hang them up in the shower to dry out then toss them in the laundry basket. Rags get washed together (with paint clothes) roughly once a week in hot water. It's simple, keeps worn out clothes from heading to the landfill, and prevents all those disposable wipes from ever entering our house.
What other tips do you have for reducing waste of any kind in the bathroom? Please share in the comments!
****
Linked up to:Waste Not Want Not Wednesday
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Weekly Meal Plan 2.23.14
It's time to share my weekly meal plan!
There were a few changes to last week's plan during the week. Last Wednesday I was supposed to make Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but we had too much leftover soup in the fridge so we ate that up instead. But since we still have a ton of broccoli (thank you CSA!) the Broccoli Cheddar Soup is back on the menu this week. And since we're out of leftover soup, it will actually get made this Wednesday!
Sunday: Slow Cooker Tomato and Brown Sugar Pork Chops & salad
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Spaghetti with leftover marinara sauce & salad
Wednesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Winter Salad with Butternut Squash
Saturday: Baked Eggs with Kale - subbing out sausage for ground pork & reducing number of eggs
What are you eating this week?
There were a few changes to last week's plan during the week. Last Wednesday I was supposed to make Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but we had too much leftover soup in the fridge so we ate that up instead. But since we still have a ton of broccoli (thank you CSA!) the Broccoli Cheddar Soup is back on the menu this week. And since we're out of leftover soup, it will actually get made this Wednesday!
Sunday: Slow Cooker Tomato and Brown Sugar Pork Chops & salad
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Spaghetti with leftover marinara sauce & salad
Wednesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Winter Salad with Butternut Squash
Saturday: Baked Eggs with Kale - subbing out sausage for ground pork & reducing number of eggs
What are you eating this week?
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