A little late..but think of Earth Day every day!

I realize it comes a few days late, but I've had this post brewing for a while. April 22 was Earth Day. People all over pick up trash, are more conscious of recycling habits, and many go out and plant a tree. That's wonderful! Don't you think we should all be more conscious of the way the things we do and the products we use affect our planet every day, though?
One of the biggest things we do for our planet's sake in our house is avoiding disposable stuff, and also finding uses for stuff that would normally be disposed of. Using something once and then throwing it away is very common in our society today. It makes a lot of trash and burns through a lot of resources. Here are some tips you can implement in your household to stop some of the waste.

1. Use REAL plates. I know that dishes stink. I, for one, hate doing dishes (we've never had a dish washer). However, our family of 5 would throw away a minimum of 15 paper plates every day if we used them all the time. That's a lot of wasted paper. I am alright with the occasional paperware for barbecues or birthday parties, but I can't stomach the waste of using paper (or styrofoam, which is even worse) for every meal. Buy dishes that you love and you'll find yourself using them more often.

2. Buy some cloth napkins. They aren't all that expensive, and they are honestly much nicer to use than paper napkins. Plus, they come in fabulous colors and patterns, and they make your family feel fancy.

3. Keep a stash of refillable water bottles on hand. If you don't like your tap water (I don't), purchase a filtering system or buy refillable jugs at the grocery store.

4. You can make reusable sandwich-type baggies by sewing laminated cotton fabric into a bunch of handy sizes, or there are products out there that serve the same, use it again and again, purpose. You can even throw them in the dishwasher.

5. There are lots of folks out there that would LOVE to have your old tattered denim for sewing projects. Place an ad on Craigslist or on a local buy and sell site on Facebook. Chances are someone would love to come pick them up. The same goes for most fabrics. If they are too tattered to donate or resell, you can probably still find someone who can use them for something.

6. Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging used and you make less trips to the store. Plus, you're always prepared! No ice storm or hurricane is going to find you out of food or toliet paper if you buy in bulk. The bulk area at our local food co-op is also MUCH cheaper than buying the same food boxed in the aisles.

7. Use glass food storage containers or heavy duty plastic containers rather than the 'use it again..or don't' variety. I found the temptation to throw those ones out when they got gross almost irresistable.

8. Opt out of using facial tissues. Buy a couple hankies for each family member instead. My nose doesn't get so red and sore during allergy season and there is not a very tempting box of tissues for my small children to empty all over the floor.

9. Use real rags to clean. They work better, and you won't burn through a whole roll of paper towels every time you clean the house. I'm certain there are some old, holey t-shirts around that can be cut into handy, light-weight rags that you can use over and over again.

10. Start asking yourself every time you buy something, "How much of this will be thrown away?" A lot of packaging is nothing but waste. Nothing lasts forever. The product itself will someday have to find a home in the big trash-heap in the sky. Before you puchase something, think about what you would have to do to responsibly dispose of it, which will inevitably happen. Can you repurpose the item if and when it quits having the ability to perform it's original purpose?

11. Make your own cleaners whenever possible. It will keep you from throwing out the empty spray bottles full of residual chemicals. Find some easy, all natural ways in my post about natural cleaning here: http://therealfoodhouseholdresolution.blogspot.com/

Mostly, I'm asking everyone to be more conscious of their actions and how they impact the planet. Our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids have to live here long after we're gone. Take a small step to help preserve our world. Walk your kids the two blocks to school when it's nice out. Recycle and reuse what you can. Turn off the lights when you leave. Turn off the water if you aren't using it right then. If everyone would take part in small scale conservation, it could help to ensure future generations a healthy place to live. Another bonus? In the long run, these tips will actually save you money.

Do you have any great tips to keep the waste to a minimum at your house? Please share!

P.S., the picture is a fabulous Earth picture that my wonderful son made for me at preschool.

Meal planning makes the whole food household world go round

I am, at heart, a flaky mom. Before we started this real food adventure, I rarely knew what we were having for dinner until I started making it. I knew that would have to change since it's 30 miles to our local natural food grocer. It pained me to do so, but I had to start a meal plan.

I know, I know. Having some super detailed, ultra-restrictive meal plan sounds like a drag. Maybe that's just me? However, it can actually free up a lot of time and money. Plus, I've actually got all the things I need before I start cooking. Plus plus, it doesn't have to be extremely restrictive. For example, I had planned on roasting a chicken for dinner last night (the leftover meat and bones would star in the next two night's dinners). My husband wanted breakfast burritos instead and I ended up at work too late to get the chicken cooking, so I just moved Friday's tomato zucchini fritata up, moved everything else back a day, and rolled that fritata up in locally made whole wheat tortillas that we always have on hand.

Here are some of my best tips so far for making meal planning easier on me and our bank account:

1. Cook a large cut of meat one evening. Only serve a portion of it that night. Put the rest away to use for the next two nights. Make dishes that require only a little meat, like whole wheat pasta dishes or soups. Add lentils or beans to add a little extra super cheap protein.

2. Buy whole cuts of meat or a whole chicken. You can use the bones to make stock for soup or gravy.

3. Plan to use those leftovers! Make a little extra oatmeal for breakfast to
use in muffins the next morning. If you're having trouble figuring out how to use leftovers, you might run a search for a recipe using a few ingredients you will have leftover. Not only do you avoid wasting good food this way, it also cuts down on your work load.

4. If you're trying to work with vegetables that are in season, remember that soups and stirfrys are your best friend. You can throw anything in them. Use some homemade stock (just a little for a stirfry, a lot for a soup), toss in whatever veggies you can find in season, fresh or dried complimentary herbs and spices, maybe a little leftover meat or beans for protein and let it simmer.

5. Put a couple meals in the plan that someone other than the usual head chef can pull off. This keeps us on track even if I wind up having to work during the evening or I don't feel well.

6. Make sure you have some quick lunch and breakfast foods on hand. It's very tempting to grab some junk food when you're in a rush. For example, I bought a turkey breast to roast for sandwiches, plus we over did the hard boiled eggs for Easter intentionally so we'd have some for quick, peel and eat breakfasts and egg salad for lunch (chop eggs, add a little organic cream cheese, chopped pickles, and paprika).

7. Keep your pantry well stocked with the basics. Keeping plenty of whole wheat flour, quinoa, steel cut oats, whole grain pasta, brown rice, dried beans and lentils, yeast, organic sugar, real chocolate chips (yes, these are a basic in our house), local honey and other dry ingredients you love to use makes shopping much easier. Then I only have to pick up the meat, produce, dairy, eggs, and the few premade organic ingredients we purchase. Plus, it's cheaper to buy in bulk.

8. Don't be intimidated to try something new, even if you have a picky family. I'm sure you've heard that it can take a bajillion (okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration) times of trying a new food to actually gain a taste for it. Your family won't starve if they don't like the meal you've prepared. Just keep at it. They'll get hungry enough to give it a go eventually.

9. Your favorite search engine can be your best friend while meal planning. Use it to find new recipes, how to properly cook ingredients you've never used before, and find healthier alternatives to the foods your family already loves. You can also get connected with like-minded locals and get the skinny on local real food sources (a lot of real food must be local since it isn't held in stasis by preservatives).

Do you have any meal planning tips you'd care to share? Leave a comment! By pooling knowledge and resources, we can work together to make eating real food more practical for every family.