Grilled Locavore Vegetables...

At first glance, these grilled vegetables that I served as a side dish on Memorial Day don’t appear to be to overtly extraordinary. Sure—they taste delicious. The charred, yet caramely flavor of the seared zucchini, the sweet-tangy pop of the roasted tomatoes, the earthy-fresh flavor of the fresh chopped herbs, and then the bright tang of the fresh lemon. It’s really a remarkable balance of flavors. And from such simple ingredients. And that is the point really—a few things, all at their best, make a very great dish.

But the extraordinary part about this dish is that it is a true locavore’s dream. Locavore has become a bit of a trendy thing, I know. However it’s really just a return to the true way things were always done. Once upon a time, a person only had lemons for 2 months out the year, and then only if they lived in a place that grew lemons!
Now, I didn’t set out for this dish to be locavore, but that is the other point I will get to in a minute. As I begin to think about the components of this dish, one-by-one…I realized, the zucchini—came from my local farmershare, the tomatoes—from my aunt and uncle’s bush a few block’s away, the lemons—from my neighbor across the street, the herbs—from my own backyard, and the olive oil from a local olive mill here in town. I stepped back for a moment and realized that through simple, small changes over time, my food began to evolve in such a way that without even trying to, it became local, fresher, organic, and sourced from places other than a grocery store! And that would be my oher said point. By making small changes, we can transform the way we eat, and our relationship with food and nutrition.

I know some would debate me, but I’m pretty sure a lemon from my neighbors tree, plucked moments before its use, clean and fresh—with no chemicals or waxes on its skin, is far better for us than a lemon picked green, then ripened artificially, shipped for a week, waxed and massed transported to a grocery shelf.

So:
• Grow some herbs

• Get to know your neighbors (and their trees)

• Find a local farmer and buy a few veggies

Pick one of these and start small. Over time, other things will evolve themselves into each other and you will find it easier and easier to transform. You may even find a dish like this on your table one evening and think hmmm….this is easier than I thought.

How its done:
This ‘grilling’ happens in a skillet on the stove over high heat.

• 4-5 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut into thick slices
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped herbs, any variety. I used basil, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
• Juice of one large lemon
• Few tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
This will probably take two or more batches to cook all vegetables, repeat steps for each batch.
In a large skillet over high heat, place a tbs or so of olive oil. Place the zucchini in the pan. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Add about half the tomatoes. Let the zucchini brown on each side, flipping when one side is browned. Remove browned zucchini and roasted tomatoes from pan and place on a platter. Sprinkle with some of the fresh herbs, and while hot, juice some lemon juice over the veggies. Repeat, stacking the grilled veggies on the platter.

Chemical free home...Part II

Here is where I left off in the last post about chemical free home...

If you feel like you cannot go full-boar chemical free, pick one product and convert it. Then after a while pick another...ease into it. Soon, it will be like a normal thing to use those products for everyday use.

6. Furniture/wood polish. Mix 1/4 cup alcohal, 1/2 cup vinegar. Mix in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and about 2 tsp olive oil or jojoba oil. Mix this one well before each use, as the oil will seperate in between uses. Decant from a pop top lidded bottle like a shampoo lid bottle where you can squirt the liquid into a rag for use. Spray bottles do not have enough pressure to dispense the oil.Dust first, then place a little on a soft cloth and polish.

7. Leather cleaner and conditioner. Mix 1/4 cup vodka or rubbing alcohol with 1/4 cup white vinegar. Add 1 tsp jojoba or olive oil.  Decant from a pop top lidded bottle like a shampoo lid bottle where you can squirt the liquid into a rag for use. Shake very well, and squirt mixture onto a soft rag and rub into leather. Do not rinse. Buff well for best results.

8. Disinfectant. Use straight Hydrogen Peroxide 100% right from the bottle. Use on all solid surfaces; counters, sinks, bathrooms--anything you need to disinfect. It must be kept in a brown light-free bottle like it comes in the store, so purchase a sprayer top, or find an old Windex sprayer that fits (most bottles are universal), and screw it to the top of the Peroxide bottle. Spray surface and let sit for a minute or two and wipe dry, or simply allow to dry on the sruface if you want.

9. Dish Soap. This is the only thing I use. Dr. Bronner's 100% Organic Castile soap. It is made only from olive oil, is all natural and not harmful in anyway...no chemicals. Now, Dr. Bronner is a bit of an activist, and while I don't prescribe to all that, his products are PHENOMINAL! They are readily available now, even my SuperTarget sells it. Its a concentrate, so you mix it with water to use.

10. Sponges I love! Twist-you throw them away and then they decompose!
In addition: scrubbies–use wadded up tin foil. Seriously! it works, wont scratch teflon and is magic on cast iron. Then, it goes in the recycle bin. A close 2nd eco-friendly I get at target is the 3M scrubbie.

Note: Ok, what I do for this and the washing machine may not be for everyone, and I know that, but you will at least know that it works--I think good enough--to be chemical free of all the things dishwashing and washing machine detergents leave behind for us to absorb or ingest.

11. Dishwasher. Before running, add 1 cup white vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, add enough to fill the detergent dispenser, and fill the rinse agent area. Then run the cycle on hot and use a hot dry cycle. This is all you need! The heat cycle degreases the food, and then the heat dry is a sanitizer. The vinegar does the rest. Now, depending on how good your dishwasher is, will be how good your results will be...however--I find this works good for me, and I use no chemicals.

12. Washing machine. Believe it or not, i use no detergent. Nope, none at all. Again, 1 cup vinegar in the detergent area, and I wash on hot. Arm & Hammer recommends 1 cup of baking soda in with your clothes, and we do this too, though not each time. The clothes are clean, as clean as with detergent (I did a test). You can pretreat stains if you need to however you feel like it.

13. Dryer. I use nothing in the dryer. Please read up on the internet about dryer sheet usage, it is something to be educated about...and then most liklely choose for yourself or family to not use them.

Well, that is how we went chemcial free. I feel good about it because there is no worry while cleaning about breathing or ingesting chemicals. Or any residue on my clothes, or dishes...plus its way more economical! Costco sells the huge jugs of vinegar for about $2.50, the 5lb. baking soda bags for $5 and alcohol, and peroxide are 99-cents each. Much more economical than a $4.99 bottle of cleaner.

Chemical free home...Part I

This edition of chemical free home is for cleaning. There is alot to post, so I will post it in parts...I will post another later too for body products.
But for today...cleaning products Part I.
A while back we went chemical free. And honestly, it was not that difficult a transition. I could talk about why, and all the reasons to minus out the unecessary chemicals we expose ourselves to and how the body absorbs them...but you can do that research yourself and make your own decisions about your home and choices. You could also just choose to go chemical free in an effort to save money and create less waste (in the way of plastic bottles you throw away from home cleaners.)

Here is my lineup...
Packaging and containers.

• I purchased emtpy containers and bottles from here. http://www.containerandpackaging.com/.
• Or you can reuse empty ones you have once emptied if you like.
• I found it worth the small investment to purchase blank new ones and label with a label maker. 
• The Container Store also has some empty containers you can purchase. http://www.containerstore.com/welcome.htm

 Recipes for cleaners.

1. All purpose scrubbing cleaner - Baking soda.
   Cleanser for all tasks; sinks, toilets, showers, pots, pans, anything!
   Decant in a shaker-top jar of any kind.
2. Floor cleaner for tile, wood laminate or vinyl floors.Mix 30% water with 70% vinegar. Add ½ cup rubbing alcohol. Add 1 tbs lemon juice.
   Put into a spray bottle (like a Windex bottle) for use. Spray onto the floor and mop with a terry-cloth mop (you can wash the terry-rags) so there is no waste or trash.
3. Streak free mirrors and chrome. Mix 40% rubbing alcohol, 40% vinegar, 20% water. Put into an atomizer or sprayer like a windex bottle. The alcohol evaporates the other liquids quickly resulting in streak free mirrors.
4. Windows and all purpose. (Counters, toilets, stoves, general use.)
   Mix 30% water and 70% vinegar. Put into a spray bottle for use.
5. Fruit and veggie wash.Mix 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% vinegar. Put into a small spray bottle for use and store in your kitchen. Vinegar is an antibacterial cleaning agent and peroxide is a disinfectant . Spray fruit or veggie liberally and let sit for 2 minutes. You can rub with your hands to loosen dirt. Then rinse.

Remeber use rags for cleaning, then wash them in the washer. The only time I use papertowels are when sanitation is an issue (think raw chicken juices on the counter...) I will post disinfectants (all natual) next time... stay tuned!

That is a good place to start...I will post more later this week!

Not just recycle...

A trip 2-years ago to the local landfill gave me a needed awakening to the amount of waste I create. It awakened in me an overwhelming sense of accountability; to not only recycle more, but to create ways to actually reduce the waste I make, recyclable waste included.

I came home and instantly saw a solution to something we did every day. We drank water. I usually drank tap, because living in the USA, I feel blessed to have clean water from my sink. But my husband toted bottled water, and drank about 3 per day– give or take– on the go and at home.
So, I went and purchased a couple six packs of Perrier, with the intent to reuse their glass bottles for drinking water use. The cap is metal, and screws closed, and is reusable. Glass bottles can be sanitized in your dishwasher and have no fear of plastic chemicals.
We also purchased a case of the FUZE drink bottles. These are 20-ounce, and nearly double the size of the Perrier bottles. 2-years ago the FUZE bottles were glass, today they are plastic and about 18-ounces. However, you can still find some large glass drinks with reusable lids out there. The minor investment up front is such an amazing savings in the end.
Finally, we purchased some stainless steel bottles as well, to account for softball games, around the pool, and places where glass is not feasible.
In the end, I wanted to know how much less waste we were creating, so I decided to figure it out (roughly).

At 3 bottles a day x 365 days = 1,095 bottles we stopped going into the landfill or the recycle bin! At a yearly cost savings of about $364 in purchased water. Now, we still have a cold bottle of water at our fingers in the fridge, but at zero environmental cost.

I am ever on a quest for more ways to create zero or less waste as we go about our daily lives. Join in.

A green lunch…

Our home is a ‘pack and take your lunch to work’ household. Our packed lunches earlier this year plagued me. There was so much waste involved. Dozens and dozens of Ziploc baggies a week, which cannot be sent to the recycle bin and have to be thrown away (or washed and reused). The brown bags we were using are recyclable, but that was still creating waste. I set on a quest to find a zero waste lunch.

Here is my solution:
With some investment on the front end, these sealable ‘bento’ style boxes are fantastic. The box is leak proof with a rubber seal. The inner plastic boxes have lids. I wrap sandwiches or wraps in foil, which can be recycled (ok, almost zero waste). The rest comes home and gets washed!
Because it’s airtight, not everything needs to be wrapped. The sandwich could even go unwrapped, some sometimes mustard makes a break for it and gets on the rest of the items, so wrapping it works out best. In the end it saves money, because I no longer by boxes of Ziploc at the grocery, and we create nearly zero waste from our mid-day meal.