Homemade, Repurposed Gift Wrap (FREE!!!)

We've been invited to a lot of birthday parties lately.  (I know! We're very lucky!)  Parties are a great time to have loads of fun, enjoy a tasty treat, and let someone know you care about him/her.  How fun is that?!

I'm definitely not one who thinks a gift is necessary to let someone know he/she is important but it's usually appreciated (especially by the under 10 crowd) so here's how we wrap those gifts.

And, yes, it's usually a book and a donation.

Yep, it's just some good ol' artwork.  What can I say; I like to paint. ;)  It's very gratifying to know you created part of the package too.  If you have kids, this might help free up some of that valuable real estate on the front of your fridge.  Really, it's a win-win.  Repurposed wrapping (FREE!) that gets some clutter (beautiful as it is) out of your house, while boosting the artists self-esteem all at the same time.

What?!  You don't have stacks of artwork just piling up on the front of your refrigerator?!?  My sister likes to use the comics section from her daily newspaper.  Older kids love this because they can read it too!  I've used maps from vacations.  These are fun because they're usually brightly colored and seem to multiply otherwise.

There's also the option of using reusable bags (if the recipient needs/wants them!) or even using part of the gift itself like dishtowels (think: weddings or housewarmings) or blankets (babies) as the wrapping. 

Personally, I usually stick to the artwork, newspaper, or maps because I think it looks pretty and it gets it out of my house. ;)

Yep, same theme but different book.

With all this being said, please, don't give me a gift.  I'd rather share a meal or an adventure.

I know you have some great ideas out there.  Please, share.

Peace,

Stacey

Roasted Pecans - Super EASY!!

I referenced this in the comments of my Easy Granola recipe so I thought I'd just make a post out of it so here's my "recipe" for roasted pecans.  I say "recipe" because it's not much of a recipe and virtually no cooking skills are required!  Seriously.  Here goes.

First, find some local pecans.

Mine were still in the shell so my next step was to shell them.  Your fingers might be luckier.

Next, spread them on an unlined baking sheet.  Make sure none of the pecans are overlapping each other.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, flip pecans, respread so none overlap, and bake for 2 more minutes.

Enjoy!

These are delicious warm so I just bought 10 more pounds to have enough to enjoy and enough to freeze.  I like to use these frozen pecans in baked goods until the next season.

What's your favorite pecan recipe?

Peace,

Stacey

31 Days of Green Little Things: Bring Your Own Bag

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

I know you’ve heard this one before so I’m not going to harp on why we need to bring our own bags.  I am going to offer some tips that have helped us remember to bring our reusable bags.

Gather up your bags.  We stuff all our grocery bags (including a cooler bag and a wine bottle bag) into one bag. Then put them in an obvious place so you will see them when you head to the store.  We keep ours near our grocery list.

Keep some bags in your trunk (or bike basket) for unplanned trips to any store. I have a friend who keeps a ChicoBag in her purse because it folds up so small and fits into its own storage bag. 

If you forget your bags in the car, ask the checker to put your purchases back into your cart.  I did this once and after having to bag my food in the parking lot, I never forget to bring my bags into the store anymore.  It was a great way to help me remember!

If you don't want to buy anything new, reuse the plastic ones from the store until you've exhausted your supply. These tend to fold up very small and can even fit in a pocket.
We did this for a long time before we invested in canvas ones.  

Another no cost solution is to make your own by repurposing something you already have.  Here’s a really simple way to make your own bag from a t-shirt.  One tip: use a small-ish t-shirt (no bigger than an adult size medium) because the first time I tried, I used one of Mr. Green Stuff's old shirts and it turned out to be an enormous bag!

Did you know that many stores including Target and Whole Foods give you 5-10 cents off when you bring your own bag?  Just another way that being green saves some green.

We reuse (other people's) plastic store bags for our kitchen trash.  Friends send stuff to our house in them.  People have given us unpotted plants in them.  Boy Scouts leave them on our porch. (Don't worry; we participate in their food drive.)  Caribbean grocery stores won't let you leave without forcing some on you.  And the couple times in the past 5 years when we've miraculously run out of them, our friends were more than happy to give us the ones pouring out of their kitchen cabinets.

And, remember that once it becomes a habit, it’s easy.  How often do you forget to bring your phone/purse/wallet/keys?  Bringing your bags will become a habit too.

If you have any tips for remembering your reusable bags, please share them in the comments or post them on Facebook.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined. (Please.)

31 Days of Green Little Things: Make a Bottle Cooler

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is my place to talk about the little things that I do to help the environment.

O.K., here it is.  This is the extremely hard and very complicated way I made the water bottle cooler you saw in yesterday's post. ;)

Start with an old sock, preferably one with a hole in the bottom, and a pair of scissors.  (Still with me?)

Next, cut off the heel.  

At this point I would "try it on" your water bottle to get it to the correct length.  I didn't do this the first time I used this one and it was about 2 inches too long.  (It looked more like a water bottle legwarmer than a koozie.)

If I were a talented seamstress, I might bind the raw edge.  Since I'm not, I didn't but haven't had any problems.  I've even washed it and it was fine.

There you go.  I told you it was difficult. ;)  Now you, too, have a way to carry your cold non-insulated water bottle without getting your hands cold or wet.  It definitely came in handy last summer when it was 100+ degrees for so long.  I assume this could also be used to keep hot things warm but I haven't tried that yet.   

If you have any easy repurposed projects, please post them in the comments.  I'm always interested in simple projects. 

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 
I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.

31 Days of Green Little Things: Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is my place to talk about the little things that I do to help the environment.

This summer we started making our own yogurt. Right off the bat, today's green little thing seems like a big deal but it really is easier than it appears!  It's one of those little things we make at home to reduce our environmental impact.  I know it’s easy to just pick up a tub of it from the local grocer so let me explain why we bother.

First off, and most importantly for me, I don’t like that stuff from the store.  I actually thought I just didn’t like yogurt.  Boy, was I wrong!  I just don’t like “low fat” or flavored yogurt.  It was always either too tangy or too fake-tasting for me.  This last part might be from all the ingredients in that little tub.  This way only uses milk and yogurt cultures.  (I don’t know about you but I can pronounce both of those ingredients, which is something I look for in my food.)  Anyway, I had heard that it tastes better when it’s homemade so I thought if Mr. Green Stuff would help, I’d give it a try. 

Secondly, there’s no plastic waste.  (Yeah, for reducing plastic consumption!)  Well, there is that little plastic lid from the milk.  We drink milk that comes in returnable, glass bottles but if you can’t find that hopefully yours is recyclable.  I store the finished yogurt in glass jars that I reuse each time I make it.

Finally, making it from home is much, much cheaper.  I’ve figured out that a homemade batch (and it does make a lot) comes out to about a third of the price of the cost as my hormone-free, antibiotic-free milk brand’s yogurt in the big tub and less than half the price as the individual serving sizes.

 Without further ado, here’s what you need:

• Half gallon of milk (I recommend whole milk for it’s creaminess)
• ½ cup of yogurt with live, active cultures (I initially used store-bought yogurt now I just save ½ cup from the last jar I make)
• 5 sterilized pint jars (my favorite are old peanut butter jars because of their wide mouths)
• Stock pot
• Thermometer
• Kitchen sink ;)
• Cooler

Here’s where the magic happens:

Pour your half gallon of milk into your big stock pot.

Heat the milk to 185-190 degrees Fahrenheit. Stirring occasionally.

While milk heats, fill your sink a few inches with ice water.

Place stockpot with HOT milk into ice water to cool milk to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Stirring occasionally.

While the milk cools, pour hot water (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) into your cooler a few inches deep.  Close the lid so the water stays hot.  (You may have to add more later.) 

Whisk in ½ cup of your yogurt starter (either store bought or homemade) into 120 degree milk.  I try to time it so that I can open the last jar of homemade yogurt at the time I make a new batch.

Pour thoroughly whisked milk/yogurt mixture into sterilized pint jars (your dishwasher probably has this feature but if not boil them) and seal tightly with lids.   

You’re welcome to use larger jars.  I prefer the smaller size so I don’t have to stick my whole hand into the jar to get the last serving of yogurt out of it.

Place jars into cooler with 120 degree Fahrenheit water bath.  I try to get the water right up to the neck of the jar so all the yogurt is covered.  This helps “cook” the yogurt more evenly.

Close the lid of the cooler.

Incubate at least 4 hours or overnight then move your yogurt to the refrigerator.  The longer it incubates typically makes it thicker but it should thicken up a bit more when it cools in the fridge.  

It will not thicken to “Greek” style yogurt.  That requires an extra step, which we have not attempted yet.

Once you’ve opened a jar, please eat it within a week.  Unopened yogurt can usually keep for about a month.  (Ours has yet to last that long!)

Remember, the first time for a new recipe is always the hardest.  I promise it gets easier!

At this point you can flavor it with vanilla, honey, jam, or however you like.  I leave it plain (and this from the girl who “didn’t like yogurt” last season), throw in some fruit (I miss blueberries), and top it with some of my homemade granola. 

What’s your favorite yogurt dish?

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party.  Thanks for the motivation to join this year.
Today, I'm also linking up with Foodie Friends Friday. 
I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.