Soap Nuts

1 bag = 250 - 350 loads of laundry. What more do you need to know? Ok, maybe you need to know what the heck they are! These aren't really nuts, they're berries from the soapberry tree. And people have been using their natural detergent abilities for centuries. I bought a bag recently for $42 and that includes shipping from Canada. Now I don't need to worry about buying laundry detergent for, what, 2 or more years?

I've used them twice, and am impressed. To use, simply put a few berries into one of the tiny drawstring bags included and throw into the drum of your washing machine. If, like me, you use cold water they suggest soaking the bag and berries in some hot water for a few minutes beforehand. Then throw the bag along with the hot water into the machine.

You can reuse those same berries for several loads, then they will apparently dry up and you can compost them. How eco-friendly! Plus, for those who have to lug those heavy detergent bottles to the laundromat, think how much easier it'll be to carry in a small bag of berries that wash and soften fabric at the same time! I highly recommend these! Check out the link above and read more about how fantastic these berries are!

Grilled Cheese

A tasty vegan and gluten-free grilled cheese is only minutes away when you have Daiya cheese and Food For Life gluten-free bread. Use olive oil or vegan margarine to butter one side of each bread slice and proceed as you normally would with any grilled cheese. To jazz it up add a slice of tomato and some vegan pesto. Delicious! Serve with a side of carrot and beet salad mixed with some olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper.

T-Shirt Time!

I recently made a quilt out of all my old T-shirts and a sheet for the backing. I spent absolutely nothing, it took me about a day, and I was able to use an old blanket for the filling. It's really soft because of all the overly washed T's and I love that I can still enjoy the designs without needing to wear them. And I used all the fabric remnants as rags. It was a great eco project!

Super Simple Bag

Ok, here's an amazingly quick project that will yield a great drawstring bag that you can use for laundry, sheets, blankets, stuffed animals, other bags... anything! You can even pack clothes in it for a trip or if you're moving and you don't want to waste your garbage bags (which should be biodegradable!)

All you need is:
a sheet or curtain
rope or string, whatever you want for the drawstring
sewing machine, scissors, things of that nature

To start, cut the fabric to the length you want your bag to be. Now, it's not rocket science, if want a long bag, make the fabric long, if you want a smaller bag, cut the fabric short. Do not cut off the part of your sheet or curtain that has the casing where your drawstring will be. You want to save time by using the casing that's already there.

Ok, next if you need to, decide on how wide your bag should be. I liked the width my curtain was, but if you have a large sheet you may want to scale the width down a bit.

Now, it's right sides together and sew up the side of your bag, stopping just short of the end where the casing is, don't sew that part up completely or else you won't get your rope through. Go back and forth here with the machine a few times to make the area sturdy.

Next, you'll want to sew up the bottom, but first reposition the side seam so it's in the middle of the fabric, this will make it look a little nicer with the drawstring in front, rather than on the side. Stitch across the bottom.

Turn the bag right side out. Voila! You're almost there. Get your rope and attach a safety pin to one end. Snake it through the casing and out the other end. Make sure you have enough length. Cut the string and if it's a nylon rope you might want to pass a lighter under the ends to keep them from unraveling.

You're done! You can add a strap if you want to hang the bag on a hook, but this is a super fast way to use up an old sheet or curtain and make it something useful again! Make small ones for shoes or lingerie. Use them instead of gift wrap. Pack your groceries in 'em. Get creative!

Where do you get your PROTEIN?!

Larabar, nuts, hummus, and quinoa

I found a nice little article here about protein and how much the average person really needs. Any vegan will tell you that the number one question posed to them by some curious (and skeptical) acquaintance is: where do you get your protein? Most Americans have been raised with the idea that meat is the best, if not the only, source for protein. We've also been led to believe that we need a LOT of it. Both beliefs are false of course; there are hundreds of foods you can devour to acquire your daily protein. And you might not need as much as you think.
It's quite satisfying to run across an article like this that is not aimed only at vegetarians and vegans, but everyone. It's good to shed light on all the misguided truths we believe in. So whether you are a carnivore or a vegan, know that you have choices when it comes to protein. Experiment!

Yard Sale!

Last Saturday I hosted my first ever yard sale. I was up at 6:30 am to get all my wares out to the front yard in time for the early Farmer's Market customers to see it as they drove/walked by. I didn't advertise because it would have been $20 for one line for one day! Hey, I was just hoping to make $20. I made more than that though, about $90. Not too bad, but more importantly I got rid of a lot of stuff. I priced everything really low, because I did not want to have to bring everything right back in the house. I had a lot of boxes with free stuff and people seemed to enjoy that. I enjoyed it too and I'm already planning another sale for September. This one will feature a lot more art and I might advertise this one.

Is Your Moutarde Fresh?

Finally got around to making homemade mustard! Wasn't too tricky, but you do need a pretty good food processor to really blend all those little mustard seeds. Here's the recipe:


1 cup water
3 T lemon juice
3 T yellow mustard seeds
3 T brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup flour
2 cloves garlic
1 T salt (I used less)
1 T powdered sugar (I used Stevia, but agave nectar would be good too, I think)
1 T turmeric

Combine the water and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix in the 6 T of mustard seeds and let sit 8 hours or overnight. Empty the mixture into the food processor. Add flour, garlic, salt, sugar, and turmeric. Now blend!

It took awhile because the mustard seeds didn't seem to want to get blended. But, if you want your mustard to be spicy then leave those seeds chunky because they do have a bite!

I actually ended up leaving the chunky mustard in the fridge overnight to let the seeds soften more and then the next day I added a bit of vinegar and processed the mustard further and that did the trick.

It makes a big batch, which is great because we eat a lot of the yellow stuff here. It's especially great on Amy's California Burger served with tomatoes, bread, and hummus.