Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Getting Clean and Going Green (without cleaning out your wallet) Pt.2: Paper Towels, or Lack Thereof

Thanks to Wikipedia Commons for providing this photo for defacement 

Sorry for the lack of posting last week.  Work was kind of hectic and *insert mutliple excuses here*.  Pretty much, I forgot in the midst of trying not to procrastinate and such.  It was one of those death loops of procrastination that only exists when you seemingly have a lot to do but can't pinpoint out exactly why it was so important in the first place.

This week, I'm going to rant a little about paper towels.  Who doesn't love a paper towel?  After all, they're handy, they can soak up some amazing messes, they're convenient, you can use just the right amount for the job, and when you're done, you can throw them away, right?......Wrong! (Fooled you for a second, didn't I?)

Paper towels are honestly like an addiction for me, and probably everyone that has ever used one (Please agree with me.  I need the closure.).  Once I start using them, before you know it, I've gone through a half of a roll in only a few days.  Not only does this fill up my wastebasket and the ever-crowded landfills, but I find that some months, I spent A LOT of money on paper towels.  Once upon a time, I would buy a bulk size of paper towels at Sam's Club.  I actually found that their Member's Mark brand was just as good or better *gasp* than Bounty, and also came in the convenient select-a-size format.  Every two to three months, minimally, I spent $15.98 or so on a 12 pack of paper towels.  That's a lot of paper towels in that amount of time.

Luckily, I kicked the habit, and you can, too.  I bought my last bulk pack of paper towels so long ago, I can't even remember when it was.  I know it was shortly after our move to our new two bedroom apartment, which was in April 2011.  So, I've definitely been milking that pack of paper towels for over a year.  The only times I use these delightful little sheets of wastefulness for nowadays are for two reasons:  1) Washing my hands after handling meat products in the kitchen and 2) Cleaning up really disgusting bouts of cat puke.  Since I have cut down on our meat consumption significantly in the past year or so, reason 1 is pretty obsolete, and reason 2 doesn't happen as much now that I switched my cats to a food that doesn't result in as much intestinal distress for them (and therefore, myself, as well).  

So what do I do instead of going for the good stuff?  A couple of years ago, my husband bought a 24 pack of microfiber towels.  Why?  Firstly, a thing I've yet to tell you about my husband is that he is really into anything automotive.  Microfiber towels are one of those common cleaning items that you can walk into an auto parts store and they're EVERYWHERE.  Second, he's really into buying stuff we don't need, or things I don't think we need.   Well, write this down in the history books.... because I am about to tell you I was wrong.  Not a casual wrongness in the sense of "Oops, I made a mistake in thinking I didn't NEED that", but wrong in the sense that I have never experienced something material that has fulfilled my life with so much purpose and has greatly fed the joy I receive when going through a bout of angry cleaning*.  

These towels are my new crack.  They are not just amazing in that they soak up almost ANYTHING liquid I lay them on (I literally soaked up an entire quart of apple juice that fell out of the fridge and of course landed on the one spot that would shatter and cause liquid leakage with ONE of these).  They also leave virtually no streaks on my granite countertops, glass smooth top range, glass windows, mirrors, or my stainless steel appliances.  Even more, they are the perfect size for me to stash in my car door compartment for roadside cleanup or to pinch into the handle of the fridge door for quick clean ups around the kitchen.  

The best part? I have been using these things for two years straight and have NEVER had to throw one away because it was worn out, and I've only put a dent into the package.  I literally have at least half a pack (12) of these cloths left, completely brand new and never used.  Granted, I had a few random ones laying around from my husband's auto obsession.  So, you know what I do?  If I know someone who's getting married or moving into a new home, I stick one or two of these bad boys in with their gift.  At first they may go, what the heck is this in there for?  Then they realize... I have just given them the pure gold of home and automotive cleaning.  You are very welcome!

My favorite thing about these cloths is that when used with my favorite semi-enviro-friendly store-bought cleaner, they get up all the nasty stuff I let fly around the kitchen when I am cooking.  Ask my husband.  The kitchen should literally be declared a disaster area when I start cooking up a storm, but when I'm finished and have time to clean up the gunk, there's not a spot, thanks to God's gift to housewives everywhere.  In my defense, my cooking is fabulous (more recipes to come).  

So after I've thoroughly soiled on of these things, which is hard... believe me... I just throw it in the wash with my usual weekly loads.  They take up a very small amount of space in the wash, so the added cost of laundering is negligible.  Of course, being sort of a clean freak during my bouts of angry cleaning and having access to well over 24 microfiber towels, I have to resist the urge to clean a couple of things and grab a fresh one. 

So, go buy a pack.  Okay, maybe not a 24-pack, but start out small with a pack of 3 and work your way up if need be.  Believe me, it's worth the investment and you'll save some green... trees AND money!



*Note:  Definition of "angry cleaning":  I am notorious for viciously cleaning the absolute crap out of my house when I am worried, frustrated, anxious, bored, premenstrual, stressed out, and/or straight up pissed the *insert inappropriate, misguided, and vulgar word, here* off.  


Monday, July 16, 2012

Getting Clean and Going Green (without cleaning out your wallet) Pt.1: Laundry

Green cleaning is currently a hot source of marketing for big companies like SC Johnson and Proctor and Gamble.  Unfortunately, most of their products don't hold up to their environmentally-friendly image as some would hope.  Not to mention, although most are made with "natural" products, you'll be forking out an unnatural amount of money to restock your cleaning pantry with the goods.

This will be the first of a multi-part series on cleaning your home and your body without breaking the bank or poisoning our waterways.  Fish like clean water, too!  

Today's topic is most people's  most-hated chore, but happens to be my favorite... laundry!  I'm the weirdest housewife you will ever meet because I LOVE TO DO LAUNDRY.  Granted, I don't have children yet, and my tune will probably change rather quickly when I'm having to do a load or more a day, especially with the our planned use of cloth diapers... Long story short, I love hopping into freshly washed sheets and clean clothes absolutely fantastic on my skin.  

For now, we're not going to go into the specifics about water use, so that's a topic for another day.  Today, I'm going to discuss laundry products.  

There are many "green" laundry detergents on the market.  See this link for a review of 6 of the most commonly available.  The biggest complaint with nearly all of these detergents is that they don't actually remove stains!  Why?, you ask.  Watch out, I'm about to bring the science.  

Most of these "detergents" don't actually contain what chemistry would call a detergent. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ABOUT TO GET VERY TECHNICAL Most of them contain mild or plant-based surfractants, while a "detergent" is indeed a member of this group, not all sufractants are detergents. Let me explain. A surfractant breaks water tension by having two ends, like a magnet. One end is hydrophilic, meaning it likes to hang out with water (anything "aqueous" or "water"-like). While the other end is hydrophobic, meaning it would like to get away from water, as far as possible (like fat). Having this property is termed "amphiphilic". A surfractant diffuses through water to allow hydrophobic and hydrophilic things to interact more readily. This can produce a phenomenon that almost allows fat or oils to dissolve into water. A detergent, however, is similar, but oh so very different. It is a SURFRACTANT that has "cleaning properties". Therefore, not all surfractants get stuff clean. For example, some salad dressing companies put surfractants in their salad dressings to keep the oil and aqueous components from separating as readily, but you don't see people washing their clothes with salad dressing, huh? Therein lies the real difference.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia.org

In addition to these "eco-friendly" detergents not really being detergents at all (for the most part), they are pretty hard on the pocketbook. A 20 oz bottle of Method brand Free+Clear will cost you about $12.50. It claims there are about 50 loads-worth in there. I would say this is reasonable if you have a high efficiency machine and aren't doing a large load, which for me is ALL of the time, because I almost never run a load unless it is full. Wastes water, wastes energy, wastes my time, and I don't like it. Anyway, if you go by their calculations, that's $0.25 a load. Not bad, right? Look at it this way. I am a two-person launderer. I do about 4 loads a week if I am doing all of our bathroom and kitchen towels, and our sheets. In a 30 day month, that leads to approximately 17 loads of laundry a month. That means I am spending almost $4.30 a month, just on the detergent. That's over $50 a year. That may not seem like much. But just wait, there's more.

Essentially, I am saying that not only is almost every "eco-friendly", but you are spending $50 a year on something that doesn't do it's job.  Now what if you want to get out stains?  That means you are probably going to spend at least another $50-100 a year on an additive or pretreament that will get out the stains your green laundry detergent was supposed to get out to begin with.  Not to mention, you may suck it up and wash your clothes with your green detergent alone, only to find out you need to wash the item again to get out the stain it missed the first time around.  This cost does not include fabric softener. Which, let's face it, there's not really an environmentally-friendly option for, even though some companies claim this.  After all, it's essentially emulsified wax (they did that with a SURFRACTANT!) that coats your clothes to make them feel and look soft, but actually it seals in stains and makes odors harder to get rid of.  

Boy, do I have a solution for you.  Thank God, right?  Because you were wondering where I was going with all this chemistry and cost analysis junk, right?  OK.... here it goes....

MAKE YOUR OWN!  Yes, I said it, and no I'm not crazy.  I know you're overworked.  I know you don't have time.  I know one of the main reasons you buy this multifunctional detergent to begin with is so that you'll save time and money.  But I also know if you somehow found your way to this obscure blog, you're probably serious about greening up your life and your wallet. Here's what you need for a powdered detergent. You can also make the liquid version, which is the same recipe, but requires A LOT of hot water and overnight dissolving, and my opinion, is a huge waste of time and water. Plus, all of these are great for cleaning things other than your laundry. More to come at a later date.

All of these products can be found at *most* chain grocery or superstores.  I have had luck finding it at Wal-Mart (as long as it's not laundry day and I'm out of everything listed).

-1 bar Fels-Naptha **(note:  this cleans the best from what I've seen, but almost any dye-free bar soap will do, and if you are vegan, this bar contains tallow and is not 1st choice for your beliefs)
-1 cup Borax (boric acid... you know... 20 MULE TEAM???!!)
-1 cup washing soda (read:  NOT!! baking soda.. you want sodium carbonate, not bicarbonate.  Small name difference, huge chemical property difference)



That's all you need!  Now, take that old rusty cheese grater you kept because you knew one day you'd find a use for.  Lock your children in their room with a super pack of Legos and a promise of a much-desired prize if they keep quiet and build the biggest Lego fort ever.  Send your husband out to change the oil.  Turn on that show you haven't seen since before you got married.  Yes, I am giving you permission to waste some electricity.  Just please tell me you've invested in a low-energy usage TV.....



Now that you've set yourself up, grate the crap out of that bar of Fels-Naptha.  Some food processors can take the beating out of crumbling up a huge bar of soap, but I wouldn't recommend this method.  It can get messy really quickly, it's hard to clean up due to the tallow in the soap, and your food processor will smell of Fels-Naptha for the next 3 cleanings (even in the dishwasher).  Plus, ew... you eat stuff out of there, and I doubt you want to feel like you just said a curse word and your mom made you clean your mouth out.

Now, take a big bowl and wooden spoon/stirring paddle.  Mix in your Borax and washing soda until everything is equally distributed.  Done!




It only takes about 2 tbsp for a big load of laundry. I like to use an old OxiClean scoop because it's just about the right size.  If the clothes are REALLY dirty, I use two of these scoops, but don't use too much.  This won't allow for the detergent to dissolve entirely, and you may get the notorious detergent scuz left over after the rinse.  To soften, you can use your regular eco poision fabric softener, but you really may not need it.  I find this detergent gets my clothes super soft and static-free.  If you want an eco-friendly option, I have used white vinegar in my bounty ball, which is great for people with fragrance allergies and kills residual odors (but if you're using this detergent, you probably won't have any leftover odors, even old ones!).  



The hardest part of all this is literally the grating and I find it relaxing in a monotonous sort of way.  Just don't try to grate your finger.  Been there, it's not fun!  I like to get about three batches together at the same time, so I just grate soap like crazy through an online episode of Army Wives and then I'm done for the next couple months.  

The best part of all this the cost and the fact that it's more eco-friendly than *almost* anything on the market and definitely gets your clothes cleaner than ANYTHING (eco-poision included) I have EVER tried.  Let me be clear... I took my husbands filthy dingy gray socks and without bleach (another topic), I washed them once in this detergent and they were cleaner than I had ever seen them since like the 2nd time he wore them. That's saying a lot!  My husband's feet are one of the nastiest things I've ever smelled, let alone had the pleasure of washing clothing that touches them.  (Love you, dear!)

SO.. for the cost break down. Fels-Naptha: $0.99/bar. Borax: ~$5.50/76 oz box (8oz/batch= 9.5 batches... approx $0.58/batch). Washing soda: ~$4.50/55oz box (8oz/batch= 6.875 batches.. approx $0.65/batch). That's $2.22 per batch. Each batch makes enough soap to fill up an old bulk potato salad 4 lb container I cleaned and reuse for this purpose. It's filled to the brim and I can barely get the lid on, so we'll estimate that a 70 oz instead of 64. Two tablespoons or 1 OxiClean scoop is 1 oz. That means one batch has approximately 70 loads-worth of detergent. That means each load is just a hair over $0.03! That's an insane difference compared to the minimum of $0.25 if you're using commerical detergent alone, without the cost of fabric softener or pretreatment added! Instead of $50/year spent on detergent, I am spending less than $6.20! That means I can go to the movies, out to eat, and still have money left over from the money I didn't spend on detergent (that is, if I had both time and the money I saved :) ). Now, how's that for the geeky green science wife who looks like an idiot grating soap with a cheese grater by the TV at 2 PM on a Saturday? Not such an idiot, huh?

Now, do you see the reason for my insanity? Just be glad I love laundry so much that I spent the last two hours doing all these calculations for you guys. Thank goodness I am putting my future PhD to good use!

Happy Green Cleaning!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Don't have a Cow!

With all the craziness of the past few months, I have neglected to get to the meat of this blog. So that's the first thing I'm going to talk about.... meat! This is quite a controversial issue with some people, so I thought I'd share my OPINION and the few facts that I know about the "environmental-friendliness" and economics of eating meat in an American diet. This is just a scratch at the surface, and I would love to hear your experiences or research about this topic. Just shoot me a comment!

First of all, let me say I sometimes crave a healthy portion of red meat and certain types of pork. Not such a big fan of chicken (I think my Momma tuckered me out on chicken since it was so cheap and available in the 80's and 90's). Fish, although not truly considered a "meat" by a lot of people's standards (although I'm not sure why??), is going to be placed in the meat category for the sake of argument.

I tolerate, and sometimes thoroughly enjoy, the stuff, but in high school I spent almost 2 years as a vegetarian. The only exceptions I made were for 3 family holidays, Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. The reason for this? Let's be honest. Tofurkey is NASTY. There is no such thing as a good ham substitute, although veggie bacon can be quite delectable. Seriously... it is! It may look like cardboard, have the texture of cardboard, but it tastes far from cardboard! It makes me wonder what's REALLY in that junk...

Anyway, my husband is crazy about steak. Or any type of meat, really. Like if he had the choice between winning $1 million dollars in the lottery or a year's supply of red meat, it would be a pretty close race. If given the opportunity to order a big juicy ribeye, this man's eyes light up like Christmas on MacCorkle Avenue as if residents were competing for Charleston's tackiest Christmas decorations*.

I already considering my self a "part-time vegetarian". About 80% of the meals I eat contain zero (or pretty close to zero) meat. Most of the time, I load up on fresh, steamed, or sauteed veggies and get my protein from a variety of cheeses, nuts, beans, etc. So, for me to give up meat in my diet for health, cost, or green reasons? Done! Or at least most of the way there...My husband on the other hand, would fight tooth and nail for his meat. In fact, many a lengthy discussion in our household once revolved around why we're not buying or consuming as much meat. However, he has adjusted really well to what I would call a healthy lifestyle.

If I use meat in any meal, I either use very little or much less than what a recipe would typically call for.  However, for the most part, again, my diet is vegetarian.  I cannot say the same for my husband because I am sure he sneaks the occasional Arby's Roast Beef, and I am completely okay with that.  I know he's not gorging himself, and although I want him to live a healthy lifestyle so that we both can live to be 100, it is his body, his choice, and I don't like to argue with my husband about issues that would be a no win situation for either of us.

Here are MY reasons for going *mostly* meat-free. Firstly, it is EXPENSIVE. Have you looked at the cost of even chicken lately? At our local Morgantown Kroger, a 1 lb. package of chicken breasts will set you back by about $4.59. Don't even get me started on the cost of steaks. You're usually looking at a price of at least $7.49/lb if you're not shopping the sales. Granted, I have never bought ANY type of meat at that price. I usually buy any meat products at Sam's Club, where chicken is usually somewhere around $2/lb +/-**. I can also buy in bulk, which saves me time in food prep because I can freeze individual meals worth, plus, it cuts down on the plastic and styrofoam (ugh) packaging used in transportion and safety of my meat.

Secondly, I am concerned about the environmental impact of the meat industry. I'm sure if you have done any type of research on this topic, you have come across the horror stories about the quality of life of the animals used for human consumption in industry farms. Not only does this concern me, but the issue of the effect of the meat industry on the production of greenhouse gases is something we should all be paying attention to, due to its effect on global warming. Also, the waste produced by this industry can be extreme. While some "farmers" (I say "farmer" because most of the time, this is regulated by the corporation and not the farmer), make an effort to use every part of the animal, some may take only what they need, and allow the rest of the animal to be disposed of, and sometimes not so satisfactorily .

Lastly, but most importantly, the health issues surrounding the consumption of meat are tremendous. Read this article I found on the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry. That's just the tip of iceberg. If you don't believe the news media hype and want to look at actual data, read this peer-reviewed scientific journal article on the effects of red meat on human health and mortality. Scary! If you want more information on this aspect of the issue, do a quick Google search. The evidence for cutting back on meat, if not eliminating it from your diet entirely, is pretty overwhelming.

So what can you do to make a transition to a meatless or nearly meatless diet? Take it slowly. Do no not cut out meat cold-turkey if you are used to consuming it on a daily basis. Not only will this make you feel deprived of something you probably enjoy, but it could shock your system and you may find yourself dealing with larger problems than trying to stay away from the local burger joint. Digestive upset can happen with any food that you quickly add or remove from your diet, so it is important to balance loss or gain of an item from the diet with something that compensates for the change.

I always recommend trying to include less meat in a recipe you already eat on a regular basis. For example, in meaty marinara spaghetti, I would normally use a 1 lb of lean ground beef. To go meatless, I would maybe only use 0.75 or 0.5 lb but add extra veggies and cheese, such as mozzarella, Parmesan, or Romano. Not only does this boost good-for-me minerals from the veggies, but the cheese and some types of veggies help compensate for the loss of protein. However, this comes with a warning. Cheese has a lot of fat, as well, and eating too much can give you less than desirable bathroom side effects :) Also monitor your additions, you don't want to compensate for the loss of meat by adding an extreme amount of carbohydrates or fat from other sources. So don't double up on the pasta just because you're cutting down on your meat!

I have compiled a few recipes that will help with weaning off the meat. The first is a recipe from my mother that I tweaked. The second is one I found on Allrecipes.com. This website is a great resource for finding tried-and-true menus, browsing for ideas, or when you're in a pinch for a quick meal that will leave everyone satisfied. Their rating system is extremely useful because you can often weed out recipes that you probably won't like based on member reviews.

One of the most important things to remember with any recipes is....if you are experienced with cooking, you can tweak almost any recipe according to your tastes. So feel free to make flavor/vegetable substitutions and even add or remove ingredients as you like. Green Appetit!


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Not So Crabby Patties:

2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (may use half yellow squash for a softer and different flavored cake)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 med-large onion, minced
1 cup italian bread crumbs
1/4 c flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp Light Miracle Whip (Mayo may substituted, but it will have less flavor)
1-2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning (depending on taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Canola or vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until all components are easily distributed. Do not overbeat eggs. Shape into patties approximately the size of your palm and about 3/4" thick.
Heat on medium-high enough oil in a large skillet or deep saute pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small pinch of zucchini batter into pan. When the batter sizzles and begins to brown, your oil is hot enough. Heat may need to be adjusted during cooking to prevent burning or undercooking.
Carefully place patties into oil and allow to brown on each side until middle of patty is thoroughly cooked. Patties may have to be flipped a few times over the course of 5-10 minutes to prevent overbrowning and allow for thorough heating.
After patties have reached golden brown status, place on a heat resistant plate covered in a few layers of paper towels.
After a few minutes, flip patties to drain the grease from the other side.
Patties are now ready to eat!

Try them with some mac n' cheese and broccoli. They taste almost like real crab cakes but provide loads of vitamins and minerals! You may also want to try them with some tartar sauce or make your own by adding sweet pickle relish and/or spices to a few tablespoons of Miracle whip.
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Vegetarian Penne Recipe:

2 cups uncooked penne or medium tube pasta
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 small yellow summer squash, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in butter until tender.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, seasonings and cream until smooth; add to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta and add to vegetable mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
Serve immediately.

You can try this with a variety of different vegetables and herbs. I like to include spinach and substitute basil and oregano for the thyme and parsley.






*Note: I was told by a South Charleston resident this is actually a REAL radio station contest and every year, three houses on MacCorkle Avenue try to out-compete each other for the prize. The results are quite horrifying, but entertaining, nonetheless.
**Certain stores will have prices on meat that can floor you.. for example, I found a 4 lb. pack of chicken tenderloins (great for stir-frys, etc) on sale for $0.88/lb! That's incredible!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Wordle



I tried to think of all the things that describe me, and although I haven't quite gotten the hang of mastering a Wordle, I think I  did pretty well for my first time :)