I just flipped through the latest Uncommon Goods catalog and want to add these beautiful rice sack bags to my wish list. They would be perfect for packing a picnic lunch to enjoy after playgroup days. The bags are made from salvaged materials from manufactures, printers and mills in the Philippines. Choose yellow or blue for $27, which I think is a good deal. I have a rice bag tote that is in great shape after a year of heavy use.
Happy picnicking!
Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In
Want to get your hands on this great, and quick, read? The publisher’s are running a promotion through the end of May to get 50% off. Plus, check out these other books on sale too:
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| Enjoy and have a wonderful LONG weekend! |
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book to review. It in no way influenced my opinions here.
Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In
I LOVE the Envirosax bags I stash for quick trips into town for errands. They just came out with a new travel series of prints, featuring New York, Sydney and Paris. I think I have to put the Paris bag on my wish list 🙂
It can be done. I can make my own bread. Despite many “dense” loaves of whole wheat bread in my baking past, I made one last try. This one turn out successful! I found the recipe on Tammy’s Recipes blog and tweaked it to be more whole wheat than white flour. I can’t wait to try and doctor it up with some oatmeal and flax seed next time around.
“Mostly” Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk (I used 2% milk)
2 tablespoons oil (I used Canola, but will try Coconut Oil next time)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Instructions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.
2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.
5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.
When I first heard about Seventh Generation’s new 4x Concentrated Laundry detergent I was excited to test it out. If I could use even less detergent it would hopefully reduce the amount of time I have to buy detergent, and also cut down on the plastic bottles I purchase. Much to my surprise, the bottle is not plastic, but made from paper!
The bottle uses 66% less plastic than a typical 100 oz bottle of detergent. It’s larger than Method’s plastic bottle I recently reviewed, but smaller than Whole Foods and Biokleen. The outer bottle is also compostable or recycled with our paper. The inner pouch is made of #4 plastic (like most plastic bags) and is also recyclable. The cap is also made from #5 plastic, which I recycle at my Whole Foods where they have a Preserve Gimme 5 drop box.
The actual laundry test was a bit limited this time. I was sent the Geranium Blossom and Vanilla scented detergent. While the scent is from essential oils, I still wasn’t comfortable using it on the kid’s clothes or the cloth diapers. So that left our towels and the grown-ups clothes. Overall I was happy with the wash, the smell was discreet, but still lingered on the clothes even a few days later. I haven’t used a detergent with a fragrance for probably four years so it was a little strange to smell anything coming out of the wash. I would purchase this again, but go for the free and clear option.
If you are looking for the new Seventh Generation 4x Concentrate in your local area, here is a list from EcoLogic, who created the very cool bottle. I hope to see more stores added to this list in the future.
Do you use a detergent with fragrance? If not, would you use one made with essential oils instead of chemicals?
Disclosure: I was provided a sample of Seventh Generations Laundry detergent to review. This in no way influenced my opinion written here.
This year I am making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of plastic we use at home. This includes our food storage containers, plastic bags and even our new baby’s toys. I didn’t think about the baby’s bottles until I learned about Lifefactory’s glass bottles. Their glass bottles are made from non-toxic materials, and are free from BPA, phthalates, PVC, polycarbonate, lead and latex. Many plastic baby bottles made prior to 2009 included BPA, which has prompted many moms to start thinking about using the glass bottle again.
I was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to hold the glass bottle. Lifefactory bottles have a silicone sleeve that protects the glass from breaking. My two year old took the bottle and threw it into the sink one day and it didn’t break. It made me more confident about how strong the bottles are. Although I am nursing, our baby boy was very hungry in the early weeks and needed a little extra formula. I tested the 9 oz. glass baby bottle with a Stage 2 nipple. Although the nipple took about a minute to get used to, the baby latched on well. The bottle was lighter weight than I expected too. My favorite part about the glass bottle…it’s dishwasher safe! I never put my plastic baby bottles in the dishwasher in the past, but I tried the glass bottle and it came out crystal clear and no residue was on the sleeve either. That benefit alone makes glass more appealing to me!
The only negatives for me with the bottle is that it is trickier to measure water in it and the width was slightly larger than my bottle warmer. The markings for ounces are on the outer sleeve, below is a picture noting how they are marked.
To learn more about Lifefactory visit their website for information or to order a Starter Kit, which includes two 4oz bottles, two 9 oz bottles, plus extra nipples and solid caps. It would make a great baby shower gift!
Disclosure: I was provide sample products from Lifefactory to review. This in no way influenced my opinion written here.
As we celebrate Earth Day this week, I wanted to share some ways to clean up the lunch room in schools or at home. There are so many cute and practical products on the market now that make it easy. Or, here are a few tips that won’t cost you any money.
1. Pack lunch items in Tupperware you already own. It may be plastic, but most kids are not microwaving their lunch at school.
2. Reuse empty bread bags for sandwiches.
3. Use foil to wrap items. Foil can be tossed into your recycling bin whereas plastic wrap can’t.
4. Send in a fork or spoon from home, just make sure the kids understand it needs to come back home with them!
Ready for some fun items to bring some life back to the lunch box. Here are some of my top picks.
1. Resnackit reusable bags. I have used mine for a year and they look as good as when I first started using them. I wash mine 1-2 times per week, depending on the peanut butter and jelly spills!
2. Thermos. Send in hot leftovers for the kids, another way to reduce food waste at home.
3. Pack reusable utensils (Dandelion Reusables Utensils, 8 Pack
4. Bento box inspired lunches. Love the silicone baking cups to dress up a daily dose of fruit.(Wilton 415-9400 Easy Flex Silicone 3-Inch Reusable Baking Cups, 12 Count
I am still trying to reduce plastic in my kitchen but still need to work on the lunch box. To help you all get started, one lucky reader will get a stainless steel bento container plus an all purpose stainless steel storage cup from Innobaby. Check out Innobaby’s website to learn more about their products. I love that the cup works for drinks or snacks as it includes interchangeable accessories. Plus it can go in the dishwasher which always makes my life easier. Innobaby has the best selection of bento box inspired containers, and the cutest prints! The segmented plates are now on my wish list for our two year old daughter.
To enter:
1. Mandatory: Leave a comment with your email address and a note of how you would like to celebrate Earth Day. Is there a small change you want to make?
2. Additional entries for the following:
-Tweet about this giveaway…must have @RandomRecycling in the tweet
-Like Random Recycling on Facebook
-Like Innobaby on Facebook
All comments must be submitted by April 27th. A winner will be notified via email. Open to US/Canadian residents only.
After entering the contest, take a look at this article about banning brown-bag lunches? What do you think?
Good luck to all! Happy Earth day on Friday.
There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate Earth Day this week. I think it’s important to understand even small changes can make a difference. Meatless Mondays, biking, and reusable bags all help lessen our carbon footprint.
What small changes do you want to add to your greener lifestyle?
This was the last week of Simple Mom’s Project Simplify. The “hot spot” for the week was my choice. I decided to finish dealing with some paper clutter still lingering from week 2.
Do you have a home management book? What am I missing?
Thanks!
I thought this would be easy. I’m always in my kitchen so I figured I would be able to declutter my problem spots throughout the week for Hot Spot #4 in Project Simplify. No such luck. Two cabinets were cleaned out, but I still need to conquer the balance.
The next cabinet to attack is the baking one. Since I have started cooking more real food, my ingredients have increased slightly. I need to relook at what should be in this cabinet and what may need a new home. I look forward to reading the other posts to get more organizing ideas.
*Remember to enter to win a unique tote from Jitesh Patel’s The Tote Bag book. Check out the previous post.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
