Sweet Potato Pie

One thing we never havc left over at this house is sweet potatoes. We bake them like regular potatoes, peel the skins off and eat plain. Yum! Yum! This Thanksgiving though we had an overabundance of them leftover and they needed to be used. Yesterday, I decided to pull out the sweet potato pie recipe. My family considers this a special treat. Here is the recipe.

1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I use soy)
4 Tbls melted butter
1-9" unbaked pie crust

Combine first 7 ingredients and beat thoroughly. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes than 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and enjoy! (We like ours with whip cream on top of it.)

Hypermiling-Car Maintenance part 2

Here are the rest of the tips for car maintenance to help you increase your miles per gallon. These all come from the U.S. Department of Energy.

1) Gas mileage can be improved by 1–2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1–2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1–1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.

2) Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carburetor engine may improve fuel economy 2 to 6 percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects your cars ability to perform. (This is not the case for fuel injected computer-controlled gasoline engines although it does increase acceleration time).

3) Keeping your car washed and waxed improves aerodynamics and therefore affects fuel economy. Engineer Tom Wagner, Jr. reported to Stretcher.com (as in stretching your dollars) a 7-percent improvement in fuel economy, from 15 to 16 mpg, during a 1,600-mile road trip.

4) Try not to use roof top carriers for extra luggage. These decrease the aerodynamics of your vehicle.

Chicken (Turkey) and Rice

I use this recipe for both leftover chicken and turkey. My family loves it. You can add more broth to the mixture if your family likes soup instead.

1-2 cups Leftover Turkey
1 cup instant brown rice
2 cups chicken (turkey) broth (we use what is leftover from turkey and then substitute with boxed broth)
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2-3 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 Tbls fresh)
Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbls fresh)

In pan, saute vegetables in olive oil until tender. Add rice, chicken or turkey, broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes. Serve.

This is a favorite of our families. I use it even for very small amounts of leftover chicken and turkey. This can also make a great vegetarian meal if you omit the meat and use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.

Potato Pancakes

What to do with all those leftover mashed potatoes. Although at my house this usually is not a problem, Mary could eat just those and skip the rest. This recipe goes back to what my Mom used to do with ours. I loved when we had leftover mashed potatoes because I knew the next meal would be have potato pancakes.

Leftover mashed potatoes
1-2 eggs depending on quantity of potatoes
2-3 Tbls flour (may need more if you have a lot of potatoes)
olive oil

Stir together potatoes, egg(s) and flour. Add flour until potatoes are stiff. Heat oil in pan. Drop glops of potatoes into oil. With spoon press down into pancake form. (If potato cakes don't hold together you probably need to add more flour or another egg). Fry on both sides until golden brown. Salt and pepper if desired. Eat and enjoy.

I know the measurements are not exact but neither is the amount of potatoes that are leftover. You will be able to tell if you need more flour or egg as they will be too runny (more flour) or too clumpy (more egg) when you try to put them in the pan. These never last long at my house.

 

Chicken (Turkey) Enchiladas

Thanksgiving is over. The food was great. Friends and family enjoyed each others company. Now, you wake up to a house full of leftovers. Warmed up turkey can only happen so many days before you get sick of it. Thought I would share some of our favorite recipes for using the leftovers. The first one to share is chicken (turkey) enchiladas.

1 package large tortillas (we use whole wheat)
4 cups chopped turkey
1-8oz bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese or mexican blend
16 oz sour cream (or plain low-fat yogurt)
1 banana pepper chopped (or 1 can diced chilies)
1 medium onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 Tbls fresh)

Mix turkey, sour cream, banana pepper, onion and cilantro together in a bowl. Divide turkey mixture among tortillas. Sprinkle a little cheese on each (reserving 1/2 bag for top). Wrap up tortillas and put in greased 9x13 pan. Pour can of cream of chicken soup over the top making sure to cover all the tortillas. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 of cheese over top of soup. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

You can also make a pan of these up and freeze them for later. Just simply thaw completely and cook according to the directions above.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you have been finding one thing each day this month until today for which you are thankful. I find that I appreciate the many blessings I have when I realize how much I truly have. Last night, this was especially brought to my attention. About 5:30 last night my husband called to tell me he was in a minor accident. He was OK but he could not find the insurance card for when the police officer got there to do an accident report. Apparently, he had been driving down a busy road here in town. It had been raining. While trying to stop he hit a slick spot and could not stop in time. 5 minutes earlier there had been an accident in about the same place.

Eventually, I had to take him the insurance card which was sitting here at home instead of being in the car. That is when I realized that the front end of car had enough damage that it will probably end up being totaled when all is said and done. Mind you, we drive older vehicles so it does not take tons to total one of our vehicles but it is damage even Chuck is not going to be able to fix. It would require buying a whole new grill and other front end parts.

I tell you this because it could have been a lot worse. Unless it is pouring down rain or icy when he leaves for work, my husband drives his motorcycle. That morning the weather had been clear when he left for work but he had a few extra minutes and decided to check the radar. Luckily for all of us he saw lots of rain coming and decided to drive the car that day. Today, we don't have to know what would have happened if he had not checked the radar and been on his motorcycle yesterday.

That brings up my last what I am thankful for today. I am thankful that my husband was in a car versus his motorcycle yesterday. Cars can be replaced. He cannot.

Happy Thanksgiving to all today. Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Decorating Cookies

One of our favorite holiday traditions around here is decorating form cookies. Over the years, I have acquired a collection of cookie cutters for each season. Some of them are very old and come from my Grandma Buesching and a long time family friend of theirs Lorene Ehle. It is fun to get these treasured heirlooms out each season to use. We decorate cookies a couple of times of year usually for Halloween, Easter and of course Christmas. This year, Halloween was really busy for us so we decided to do Thanksgiving cookies instead. Mary had invited a friend over for the afternoon so we baked and decorated the cookies. This is a holiday tradition that the girls and I look forward to each year. 

Here is the recipe that I use. It is from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. The key to rolling out cookies is to flour surface well and keep dough chilled between batches. Remember, the more you work dough the harder it is to use. Also, dip cookie cutter in flour before using on dough.

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cup flour

Beat butter for 30 seconds with mixer. Add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, and vanilla. Beat in flour a little at a time as you can with mixer. Stir in the rest. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours. 

After chilled, roll out dough and cut out cookies. Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes. Cool thoroughly, frost and decorate.

I use this simple buttercream frosting to decorate. I make one full batch and then divide it into smaller bowls adding a different food coloring to each. We then frost with color of choice and add sprinkles. You can get sprinkles inexpensively at the dollar store sometimes as well as after holiday seasons. We have also used chocolate chips, red hots, marshmallows and coconut.

Buttercream Icing

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 tsp almond flavoring

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup water

Beat shortening and flavorings together. Add powdered sugar and beat into shortening mixture. Add water and beat for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Try decorating cookies together this holiday season. I think you will enjoy it. 

Onions

Yesterday, my oldest daughter, Mary, and I started prepping the onion bed. Last year, after talking to some of the farmers downtown at the local market, we found out you could put onion bulbs in during the fall, cover them with a fabric row cover, and then uncover in the spring. Last year, it worked great. The onions produced well and I had them much earlier than if I had planted them in the spring.

The reason I decided to do this is I have limited garden space. This allowed me to have my onions out of the garden by early summer. I, then, planted another crop of vegetables within the same row. This gave me two crops within one season from the same row. The onions also seemed to grow better and taste sweeter.

Here in Lexington, I bought the onion bulbs at Southern States Farm Store. It cost me $0.99 for a small bag  that would have covered several rows. I planted them about this time last year. I then covered them with a fabric row cover purchased at the same place. I anchored the cloth down with boards and let it sit. In March (when we normally plant onions here), I pulled the fabric off and let them grow. For those of you not from this area, we are in planting Zone 6.

This was an inexpensive experiment with great results. This year, I am going to try two rows because I love the taste of homegrown onions. In addition, I am going to try this with cilantro seed. I heard that it also works well with this method. Because of our hot summers, cilantro bolts quickly here in the spring.

Hypermiling-Car Maintenance

When I started researching hypermiling, one of the surprising things I discovered was how much routine car maintenance can increase your gas mileage. I knew about tire pressure, air cleaners and timing but there is so much more. Today, I would like to share some of those with you. The following facts come from the US Department of Energy.

1) Fixing your car when it is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent. The results vary, though, based on the kind of repair and how well it was done.

2) Fixing a serious maintenance problem such as a faulty oxygen sensor can increase your gas mileage by 40 percent.

3) You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent by keeping your car tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure.  Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. Do NOT use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner's manual.  To maintain optimum pressure, tires should be checked on a weekly basis.

4) Take the racks off the top of your car. These decrease the cars aerodynamics and therefore fuel efficiency.

In another post, I will share some more maintenance tips. In the meantime, check your car for the above maintenance suggestions. It can decrease your carbon footprint while saving you money. 

Birthdays

9 years ago today Makenzie, our youngest daughter, became the best birthday present a mother could get. It was a total surprise. She was actually due on Christmas day and came 5 weeks early. There is also another blessing in this birthday celebration. Makenzie was not expected to make it to her 5th birthday little on her 9th. Although the mitochondrial disease is definitely starting to take its toll on her body, she continues to be with us and brings us joy. 

Every birthday as well as many other times, I am reminded that there is no guarantee on how life will go. We need to live each day to its fullest. In a world where life is hectic, we forget about relationships and how important they are. Our culture measures success by who is the "busiest" and who has the most stuff, but in the end is that what people remember you for when it is all said and done. 

The biggest lesson that Makenzie's disease has taught me was to not take life for granted. It showed me that I truly am not in control no matter how much I want to be and it started me on the long track to sustainable living. I hope we will have more birthday with Makenzie but I will enjoy whatever time we have left. 

Today, I am thankful for Makenzie's 9th birthday.

Book Review-Food Matters

I am always searching our library for new books on green and sustainable living topics. In my search I came across the book Food Matters-A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman. In this book he talks about the typical American (and Western somewhat) diet and how it affects our environment. What is nice about this book is it is not a list of "dont's" but lifestyle changes. He does not expect everyone to be perfect. He talks about the effects of our dietary choices on the environment as well as explaining a lot of the buzzwords used today. An added bonus is that when he started eating a more plant based diet is that he lost weight without counting calories. The book also contains several recipes.

This book is worth a quick read if you can get it from your local library or find it in a used bookstore. The facts and figures he writes about will astound you. Did you know that a family of 4 eating a typical steak dinner puts out the same amount of CO2 emissions as driving an SUV for 3 hours straight and leaving on the lights on at home at the same time?  There are many more examples like this in his book. If you come across a copy, it is worth a read.

Fair Trade Items

One good alternative for Christmas gifts are fair trade items. These are hand-crafted items made by individuals in low-income areas of the world, bought from them for a fair price which then allows them to earn a fair wage. Several small cottage industries have been set-up because of this program. The items are usually well made and beautiful.

Each year, our church hosts a fair trade fair on a Sunday morning. A local business who specializes in fair trade items comes and sets them up. Our members than buy things from them before and after our services. This gives them an easy opportunity to support someone in need while getting some Christmas shopping done.

Here in the Kentucky Bluegrass area there are two shops who carry these items year round. The first one is Lucia's Boutique which is located at 523 East High Street. Here is a link to their store: http://www.luciasboutique.com/events.html  They are the ones who set up at our church. The other store is Peace Crafts which is located in Berea at 307 Chestnut Street. Here is a link to their website: http://www.peacecraftinberea.org/

If you do not live in the bluegrass region, there is a mail order business online called SERRV international. Here is a link to their website: http://www.serrv.org/

Check out these great organizations and shops when you get a chance. They make great alternative gifts  and support someone directly who is trying to support themselves and their families.

If you live here locally, stop by our church on Sunday (November 21) from 9:30-1. It is Word of Hope Lutheran and is located on the corner of Man O' War and Armstrong Mill Roads. Hope to see you there.

Bug Bite

We have had an eventful couple of days here. My oldest daughter had a bug bite on the inside of her elbow over the weekend. It looked "funny" from the beginning but nothing alarming. Tuesday afternoon, she came to me because she noticed large patch of red around it. I knew right away it was cellulitis. Called the pediatrician who told us to bring her right in to the office to get it checked out. He confirmed the diagnosis, put her on oral as well as topical antibiotics.

The next morning the spot was larger. By the afternoon it had grown to twice the size. Called the pediatrician to see if we should be concerned. He told her to immobilize arm and not use it at all and he wanted to recheck it in the morning. By bedtime, the infection was still getting bigger. We were getting a little concerned. She had been on heavy duty antibiotics for over 24 hours at this point.

This morning she woke up and the infection had not grown anymore. By midmorning it was starting to shrink and tonight it is almost gone. We are very relieved. 

We do not know what bit Mary or where she received the bite. The doctor said Tuesday that it was the third bite he had seen like that this week. We are thankful tonight the antibiotics have caught up to the infection and she is doing well. As for the bug, we hope it stays far away from here.

I suggested that November be "our thankful" month in an earlier post. Tonight I am thankful that Mary's arm is healing well and the people who prayed for us the past 24 hours.

Clean Water part 2

Here are the facts related to diseases caused by lack of clean water from the April 2010 National Geographic edition.

1) One of eight people lacks access to clean water.
2) 3.3 million die from water-related health problems each year.
3) Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrheal disease by 45%.
4) An eradication campaign that includes a simple water filter has cut the number of Guinea Worm cases by 99.9% since 1986.

For more information and articles on this subject, follow this link to the edition.  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/table-of-contents

Take some time today and page through the articles. Learn more about this ever increasing problem in our world.

Clean Water

One large world health problem is clean water. Advent conspiracy (AC) (talked about in previous post) encourages people to spend less on Christmas and then donate money to organizations which help people get clean water around the world. According to the AC website the US spends 450 billion dollars on Christmas each year but it would only take 10 billion dollars to provide clean water for everyone in the world. Here are some statistics from the April 2010 National Geographic issue titled Water-Our Thirsty World.

1) Americans use about 100 gallons of water each day.
2) Millions of the world's poorest subsist on fewer than 5 gallons.
3) 46 percent of people on earth do not have water piped to their homes.
4) Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water.
5) In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity.

These are just a few facts. They do not even begin to touch the disease and death which is caused from lack of clean water. Take a minute and check out the National Geographic magazine articles online from the April 2010 issue.

Slowing Down

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a walk at McConnell Springs. It is a small wooded area that is being restored with native species. Both of us were tired and had lots of items on our "to do" lists but this time we went anyways. On the way we took the back route out to get our minds slowed down before we got there. We had a nice walk. We did the outer loop of a little over a mile and then went to look for wildlife signs around the pond. We talked, relaxed and shared some time together. We spent about an hour of our day doing this and still got the rest of our lists done in a reasonable time period.

After we returned, my youngest daughter was trying to put together a new floor puzzle she had received for her birthday. I was trying to get some stuff done when I realized that it would still be there after I took the time to play with her. It took about 15 minutes of my time but my daughter and I bonded and spent some time together. Later, she wanted to play a card game. Thinking about our time earlier in the day, I stopped and we played the game. 

That night, my oldest daughter was reading a book for her small group she is part of at a local church youth group. She was having some questions about what she was reading. By this time I had my work done and was enjoying some quiet time to myself. I realized that I could still rest in a few minutes but not have time to talk to my daughter about her questions so I took the time. We had a great discussion.

I tell you this because it brings up an important point. "Busyness" that occupies our time is not near as important as spending time with each other. Whether that time is spent doing work together, playing or just talking with each other; it is always time well spent. Sometimes in our busy, crazy lives, we forget these things. I know I do. Part of living a sustainable lifestyle is developing relationships. It is getting off the fast track of life and stopping to spend time with those who are important in our lives-spouses, children, family, friends as well as ourselves.

Take a look at your schedule. Does it have time for yourself and others in it?

Hypermiling-Lighten Your Load

How much extra stuff do you carry in your vehicle? I think you would be surprised if you took it out and weighed it. Getting rid of extra things in your car is the next principle of hypermiling.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction in gas mileage is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight. Therefore, it affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones. 

Take a moment today. Look at what truly is in your vehicle. Is it necessary to regularly carry all of these items? Get rid of the stuff that is not critical and start saving money through better gas mileage.   

Alternative Gift Giving

Thought I would share a gift idea that my friend started a couple of years ago with her children. Underneath there Christmas tree, she wrapped a gift with 12 envelopes in it. Each envelope had a month written on it. Inside the envelope was a piece of paper that listed a special activity the child enjoyed doing and also designated which parent the activity would be taking place with that month. The activities were all from different price ranges from going for a bike ride to going to a play together. The envelope is opened at the beginning of its designated month and then the date is put on their calendars.

My friend admitted that the first year her children were polite when they opened up the gifts and did not seem overly excited. This changed though after the first year of monthly special activities. Now, this has become one of their most anticipated gifts. My friend says that her and her husband also look forward to their "dates" each month with their children and have developed some treasured memories from them.

I give this as an example that treasured gifts do not have to cost a lot of money and to get your creative juices started. Try to think of a gift this year that gives of your time versus just a material thing. Relationships are so important and worth the time and effort.  

Advent Conspiracy

We are getting close to the holiday season here in the states. I would like to take a minute to discuss a special cause called Advent conspiracy. Holiday season seems to be a time of stress, traffic jams and overcharged credit cards. After the holidays we feel exhausted and wonder why we even did it in the first place. Then, the credit card bills come in January. Is this really what your memories to be of Christmas?

In 2006, 4 churches across the United States started a movement called Advent Conspiracy. They joined together, asked people to look at the way they were celebrating Christmas and asked them to take back the holiday from massive consumerism. Instead, they asked them to focus on relationships. They also asked people to look at their gift giving. Instead of that shirt, sweater or toy they don't need. Focus on gifts of time, service or something that will increase others relationships.

I wanted to post this now to get people thinking about your Christmas season that is around the corner. I challenge you to think of one gift that you can give this year that is a gift of time, service or something special the receiver can use to spend time with others.

I will share future posts on alternative gift ideas but in the meantime, check out the Advent Conspiracy website. Take some time to look at their videos. Here is the link: Advent Conspiracy

Hypermiling-Brake Less

Another aspect to hypermiling is braking less while you are driving. Every time you step on your brakes you are decreasing your gas mileage (you are stopping or slowing your forward momentum that your car has already obtained.) Although some hypermilers can go to what I consider dangerous extremes with this there are many common sense and safe driving practices to do this. Here are a few ideas.

1) Maintain a safe following distance. Tailgating causes you to step on the brake more frequently.
2) Anticipate stops and cost up to stops. (i.e taking foot off accelerator when exiting ramps from interstate)
3) Drive the speed limit. Most towns and cities have stop lights timed so that person going speed limit can hit most lights on green vs. red.
4) Avoid congested roadways if possible.

Try putting some of these tips in practice and see if it makes a difference on your gas mileage.

Peanut Butter Frosting

I have been asked for the recipe for the peanut butter frosting I put on my Dad's birthday cake a couple of weeks ago. Here it is:

3/4 cup peanut butter (can also use soy butter if peanut allergies in family) 
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Cream peanut butter and vanilla. Add 4 cups powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add 1/2 cup water and beat until light and fluffy. (You may have to add in a little bit more water to reach spreading consistency depending on how oily your peanut butter is.)

My Dad's favorite cake to put this on is chocolate.

Hypermiling-Slow Down part 2

After looking at your life and seeing what you can eliminate to decrease your actual time in the car, let's now discuss why it is important to slow down your driving speed while in the vehicle.

1) Most cars runs the most efficiently at 40-60 mph at constant highway speeds; efficiency decreases exponentially as car speed increases (How Stuff Work website-you can find an actual equation on this website which shows you real numbers.)

2) Use cruise control on highways when there are NOT large hills. It will maintain constant speed and save gas.

3) For each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph you are paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas. (US Dept of Energy).

These are some basic facts that may help you decrease your speed when driving. I will share some driving techniques and maintenance techniques that helps increase your gas mileage in later posts. 

Hypermiling-Slow Down

The first area I would like to talk about with hypermiling is slowing down. Not physically while you are in the car but even before you hit the car. This seems pretty logical but it can be hard to do. In a society where we seem to be excessively "time" crunched, we seem to always be behind schedule and late. We compete with each other on who can be the busiest and we wear that hat with pride.

Part of sustainable living is slowing down and weeding out the extras that don't enhance our lives or those of others. Take a minute today and look at your schedule. Ask yourself if each item is something that is really worth doing. Are you doing this out of obligation? Is your child overbooked and stressed out? Am I taking time to sit down as a family or spouse and share meals together? Do I have time for my family and friends? Really spend some time on these questions. You will be surprised how many of these things are really not important anymore.

I am someone who can get busy and over scheduled before I know it. I look at my activities as well as my children's and try to find a balancing point where we do things that are important but still have time for each other. We try to sit down at the table most nights of the week to eat dinner together. I am working on doing this for breakfast and lunches. I find that I spend less time in the car and more time at home with those I love.

I used to wear the busy hat with pride but then we found out our daughter has a progressive neuromuscular disease which will drastically shorten her life. Suddenly, the busyness of my life is not as nearly as important. Spending time with her and my family have taken on a much higher priority in my life. Too bad it took her illness for me to realize how important it was all along.

Spend some time today looking at your schedule and regular obligations. What can you get rid of to simplify your life and concentrate on the more important things?  Remember obligations will always be with us but loved ones will not.  

Hypermiling

One topic that has fascinated me since I found out about it is the concept of hypermiling. Hypermiling is simply using driving and maintenance techniques to increase your current car's gas mileage. It was interesting that most resources I read said you can use common sense techniques and routine car maintenance to increase your current gas mileage from 20-30%. The theory is similar to how you balance your budget. First, you cut out big wasters and then you cut out smaller ones that eventually will add up to larger amounts.


There are 6 general hypermiling areas. They are slow down, brake less, lighten your load, minimize air conditioning, regular car maintenance and avoid excessive idling. We will cover each of these areas in future posts. As all things you can take this too far. Hard core hypermilers can use driving techniques which are dangerous but you do not have to go that far and still see great results.

Here is my challenge to you. The next couple of times you fill up with gas check your gas mileage. After you have an average gas mileage with your current driving and maintenance techniques, start incorporating the hypermiling techniques. Check your gas mileage again. See if they make a difference for you.

Muffins

One good way to eat more local as well as eating healthier and lower on the carbon chain is to make foods from scratch. It is also a good cost savings measure if you are trying to cut back on spending. Cooking from scratch seems to be a lost art these days. Here at our house, we try to make as many items from scratch as possible. I will use a mix occasionally for a few items but not for muffins. In my opinion, homemade from scratch muffins are not that much more work to make than from a mix especially when you taste the flavor difference. Here is the basic recipe I use. To this mixture, I add fruit or cheese. It is a great way to use fruit that is still good but past its prime.

Basic Muffin Recipe
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (can also use white flour for this)
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup sugar or Splenda
2 tsps baking powder
1 slightly beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil (can substitute applesauce for oil)

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. (Add fruit if desired here.) Put in muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes. Makes 12 regular sized muffins. Eat and enjoy!

Variations:
To the above mixture (choose 1 combination or create your own as you feel more comfortable with this)

1 cup berries (any kind)
3/4 cup chopped apple (add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg for extra spice)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (add cinnamon and nutmeg)
3/4 cup chopped cranberries
3/4 cup mashed banana (decrease milk by 1/2 cup; can also add cinnamon and nutmeg to this)
3/4 cup pumpkin (decrease milk by 1/2 cup; add cinnamon, nutmeg and pinch of ground cloves)

Have fun and experiment after you get comfortable with this recipe. It makes a great snack as well as a nice quick breakfast.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Wanted to share the recipe that I use for homemade laundry detergent. I use store bought if I am pushed for time and make this up when I have time. Here is the recipe.

*1 cup soap flakes (homemade or store bought without lotion)
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Mix together and store in airtight container. Use 1/4-1 cup per load depending on dirtiness of clothes, hardness of water and size of load. I have found that 1/4 cup takes care of most laundry loads that I do.

*To make soap flakes, take bar of soap and use a grater to make it into flakes. Takes about 1/2- whole bar per batch.

Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated my parent's 70th birthdays (Dad's was in October and Mom's is in December). The party seemed to go well and everyone seemed to have a good time. My sisters and I wanted to do this party for them because our parents have always been very special to us. The nice thing about this party is it was not done by others we hired but by ourselves as a labor of love for them. This was their birthday presents from all of us. 

Invitations were handmade. The decorations were simple but pretty. We used pumpkins on the tables which Mom will can sometime this week. We had found some pumpkin wicker baskets also that we put on the tables filled with candy corn. The wicker baskets will be reused and the leftover candy corn will be used as treats for my friends animals. Our food was all of our specialities that we make. I made cheeseball and 2 different snack mixes. My other sisters provided another cheese ball, veggies and dip, meatballs, queso and salsa for chips and we had a pickle tray featuring all the pickles my parents and sisters had made this summer. As you can see the food was simple but feedback from others said it was delicious. People came, sat and visited plus

played games that we provided from our own homes if they chose.  

The cakes were my design. Mary, my oldest daughter baked all of the cakes from scratch. My sister Deb and I made the different frostings and decorated them. We had 4 different cakes. Mom's cake had flowers and butterflies on it and was white with white frosting. Dad's was fishing themed and was chocolate with peanut butter icing (his favorite cake). I also made a Halloween themed cake which was white with chocolate icing. The last cake was my black forest cake which was chocolate with chocolate frosting and cherries. The cakes turned out wonderfully. I'll try and share some of the recipes sometime.

I tell you all the details not to brag or bore you but to let you know how easy decorating and catering your own parties can be done. We rented a simple room in an addition's club house. We provided all of the drinks, food, and decorations as well as the entertainment. A friend of the family, hosted the party as a gift to all of us so we did not have to worry about refilling food plates. All invited said they had a wonderful time. It was a great way to honor my parents but also not break the bank and be better to the earth.

The best part was my parents asked that instead of gifts if people would donate money to two of their favorite charities. One being their church's preschool where they volunteer and the other being the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation which is the genetic disease in which my youngest daughter has been diagnosed. 

The next time you have a big event in someone specials life like a significant anniversary date or birthday, try your hand at making some of the things yourself. You will be surprised how easy it is to do.  

  

Count Your Blessings Month

One thing that makes a sustainable lifestyle easier to obtain is to be satisfied with what you currently own. A feeling of gratitude is so important. Materialism seems to have overtaken our society. We always seem to be looking for that next thing to buy which will make us happy and satisfied. We buy as a way to compensate for the loneliness we feel. Think about it for a minute. When has buying anything satisfied you very long before you were looking for the next thing to make you happy? I found "counting my blessings" helps me realize how much I really have these days. 

November is the month in which the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. The main premise of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the many blessings which we have been given. Last year, on facebook, my friend shared a challenge with me. I give that challenge to all of you who are reading this blog entry. From now until Thanksgiving day (November 25), write down one thing you are thankful for each day. You can do this on facebook or other social network (share the challenge with your friends) or keep a blessing jar where you put each one you write down. I was surprised last year how much this helped me realize how blessed I truly am.

So, start counting the things you are thankful for right now.

Today, I am thankful that I live in a country where I am able to vote without fear of persecution.

Election Day

Voting is a great way to live a sustainable life style. Voting after looking at candidate's positions on green topics as well as many other important topics should be part of every adult's life here in the United States. Last night I saw on TV that they are expecting a large turn out of almost 50% of registered voters. I did not agree with the newsman's enthusiasm. I think that it is sad that less than a majority of those who are eligible to vote are actually participating in the process. We have become spoiled and lazy as a nation in our attitudes about the incredible gift that being able to vote is for us. So, if you live in the US, get out there and vote! Bring your kids along and let them watch you in the process so they see how important it is to do.