resolutions

New Year’s Goes Greener, Part Three

My third GREEN resolution is by far my toughest challenge. The microwave has been moved to the basement storage room, and the pantry is almost free of cans. We have successfully implemented our first two goals and have made the transition rather seamlessly.

The Third New Year’s Goes Greener Goal is to reduce the amount of processed/packaged foods we eat. Our normal diet consists of mostly foods as they are found in nature, WHOLE. But there are some items that we eat consistently that are somewhat processed/packaged. Crackers, granola bars, salad dressings to name a few. Although we buy the organic variety of said groceries, we still are finding that we rely on too many processed/packaged items.

Our first step toward this goal was to pick 3 things that we currently purchase and slowly transition to making them ourselves.

We have picked :

crackers
granola bars
yogurt

I am once again trusting my Joy of Cooking to guide me with the granola bars and crackers. But the yogurt making seems a bit tricky. We eat enormous amounts of yogurt, and while we buy the quart size, organic plain yogurt, I can’t help but feel guilty every time we finish a container. (Oddly enough, our municipality DOES NOT accept yogurt containers, so we save them and recycle them when we visit my sister! It’s kind of a family joke by now, as she lives over 2 1/2 hours away. I do her @Trader Joe’s runs and she houses/recycles all of my otherwise thrown out recyclables.)

Do I purchase a used yogurt maker? Try the bucket method? I’m weighing my options…any advice?

We think if we can reduce some of the things we buy, it’ll be better for our health, reduce the amount of packaging we consume, and will certainly save us money.

Do you have a favorite cracker recipe to share? or know an efficient and easy way to make yogurt? Please share in the comments section below!

Wordless Wednesday, How My Maclaren is Helping me Keep my Resolutions

In keeping with my New year Resolution to be outside for at least 15 minutes every day, I needed the help of my Maclaren Twin Triumph to coerce my tired kidlets to join me for a (very) brisk walk!

Using the (included) and much needed weather shield on the Maclaren twin triumph

Comfy and Cozy in their Maclaren Twin Triumph