I made my dough around 1pm and baked the pizza for dinner, so I didn't photograph the process.
Pizza Dough
3 cups all purpose flour (organic)
1 packet yeast or 2.25 teaspoons (tried a special pizza one but will use regular from now on)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I used safflower oil)
1 teaspoon salt (bough in bulk)
1 tablespoon sugar (bought in bulk)
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl.
Mix in oil and water, mix with your hands to create a nice sticky dough.
Cover the bowl and place into your refrigerator until you're ready to use.
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Begin by rolling the dough into a ball. Begin to pull the dough into a large flat circle. Flatten to about 1/8" inch in thickness. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. Place either on a pizza stone or stainless steel pizza pan.
Once you have spread your pie to the desired size, spread a thin layer of olive oil all over the dough. Then spread your sauce. I used organic pasta sauce because I don't make pizza often and it would be wasteful buying a separate sauce.
Then spread on your cheeses. I grated my own mozzarella and parmesan. This saved money and also prevented unwanted or needed plastic waste.
After you're done with the cheese, slice and add your choice toppings. I chose mushrooms and onions.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until finished. Enjoy!
The entire process takes just as long as it does to order and wait for a pizza. By making your own, you know exactly what you are eating and can substitute to your needs. You can also make it a family activity and have fun with it.
There are many ways to cook and make homemade items waste free. I love to make my own yogurt (recipe in previous post). Unfortunately in Illinois, I can't keep the milk and culture at the proper temperature over night.
I also usually cook my food in one pan. I use homemade vegetable stock. (wonderful recipe here). By making my own stocks, yogurts, condiments, etc, I prevent bringing waste into the home. The most recent time I made my vegetable stock (seen below), it came out purple because I added red cabbage and kale to the mix.
Here is how I cook a lot of my meals. I only purchase wrapping free vegetables and try to stick to seasonal vegetables to cut costs. I also only purchase whole mushrooms because they last longer. Place your sliced vegetables, garlic and herbs in the skillet with about 1/2 cup of homemade stock.
Once the stock is boiling and your vegetable have been cooking for about 5-10 minutes, add your tilapia fillet. Place some of the vegetables over the tilapia, add some salt, pepper and some more stock.
Continue to allow the stock to boil. Once the fish is fully cooked, allow more of the stock to boil away. Then place your food in your chosen dish and enjoy!
I love making these recipes. The stock I use when cooking fish, chicken and sauces. The yogurt I put in my oatmeal or cereal. =) I was amazed how tasty the yogurt is in old fashion oatmeal.
Homemade Yogurt 4 cups of milk (I use fat free) 2 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt cooking pot (stainless steel is best) Glass jar for yogurt cooking thermometer Place the 4 cups of milk in the pot and turn on high heat. Place the thermometer in the milk. Bring the milk up to 185 degrees and then turn off the heat. Pour the hot milk into your glass jar and place the thermometer in the milk. Allow the milk to cool down to 110 degrees. Add the yogurt to the milk. Place the jar into your oven with the pilot light on. Make sure the milk stays at 110 degrees. Allow the milk to sit for 4-12 hours. When the yogurt has cultured, place in refrigerator. This yogurt should last for about a week.
You can add homemade vanilla extract and stevia for vanilla yogurt.
Homemade Vegetable Stock pinch of salt cabbage scraps kale scraps leek scraps onion peelings carrot peelings and scraps any vegetable scraps available Glass bottle for storage Place the vegetable scraps (washed please) into a large stock pot. Add water to the pot until the vegetable are barely covered. Add the salt. Bring the water to a boil. Allow the vegetables to soak for 30-45 minutes. Take out the scraps with tongs. Pour the stock into a glass bottle. Use within a week.
Over the next few months, I will be packing up my Iowa condo and moving most of it into storage. I am working on finding a job in Chicago, so I am able to move into my parents condo in Lincoln Park. I have been working on a list of things I am going to rid of, store, etc.
- get rid of unneeded furniture
- rid of all unneeded office supplies
- pack up and store needed bedding and towels
- rid of all food products left
- go through basement
- sell unwanted yarn
- create list of needed/wanted items
- donate books in garage
- rid of unwanted toiletries
- rid of unwanted extra cleaning supplies
This is a very small list, but it will be growing. My mom and I have already moved my aquariums to Illinois and my cockatiel and dog are also here. My animals will never return to the condo. This will make moving much easier and faster. I would really like to downsize the amount of small items I have, such as toiletries, paper items, etc. I don't want to have to deal with owning so much anymore. I have noticed that I am happier with less. Throughout this moving ordeal, I want to be able to control what I actually own. It is hard when I have a mom who loves to shop and give her children things. I appreciate it, but it is difficult, very difficult. I know that when I move into my own place in Chicago, it is going to be a lot smaller than the place in Iowa, that is one of the main reasons I need to rid of a lot of belongings. I just need to figure out how to get rid of things that my mom wants me to keep. She is offended by my desire not to have tchotchkes, which she has a fondness for. If you have any ideas on how to reason with her, please let me know.
My mom also wants me to buy more clothes, I just donated 4 massive bags of clothes. I don't want to buy anything more. My mom has a closet literally the size of my bedroom growing up.
For those of you wondering what my kitchen looks like (MOM)
I apparently found two cockroaches in my condo, so I had to buy some traps and put them out. Ugh, but the weird thing is that the roaches were upstairs. . . not in the kitchen.
These next photos are basically for my mom, who believes I haven't made any progress with this lifestyle change. I am still working on my living room and dining area, but for the most part it's done.
My bedroom
My master bath
Closet (I don't need anymore clothes mom)
My study's closet
I have been working on every room of my condo, reducing first and then organizing what I am keeping.
I have never been known in my family as an organized and clean person (not hygienically). I have been working very hard to change that. I hope people start to notice.
Yesterday I decided to try out Agar Agar powder when making jam. I know berries in this area are out of season, but I needed new jam and wanted to try a new recipe. I purchased 36oz of natural blackberries (they were on sale) for this experiment. I also purchased some Agar Agar powder. Agar Agar powder is a vegan gelatin and is used in petri dishes to make bacteria grow. I just thought that was an interesting factoid. I usually use pectin when making jam since it is much cheaper than the Agar powder, but I had to try it.
Here is how I made my blackberry jam and please ignore the blurry photos, my iPhone didn't want to cooperate:
Rinse your berries throughly with hot water and shake the colander as rinsing. (shown in my Preserve colander)
Place half of the berries into your blender and puree for about 10 seconds. You still want the puree to be slightly lumpy for texture. When you are done pureeing the berries, place them in a pot.
Add your other ingredients to the puree:
2 tsps of agar agar powder per 2 cups of liquid
2 cups of organic sugar (I split my sweet ingredient between sugar and stevia to lower the calorie count)
Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium.
Stir until fully mixed.
Allow the mix to boil until it has reduced about a 4th.
Bring out your sanitized jars and fill each jar with 1" remaining at the top. (Mixture should fill 6 7oz jars)
Clean the edge of the jars before closing.
Place the jars in a canning pot with 1" of water covering the jars.
Bring the pot to a boil and boil for about 20-25 minutes.
When the jars have sealed you can leave them in the pot to cool or remove them to a heat resistant surface to cool.
Check the seal of one of the jars.
Enjoy!
My opinion of the agar agar powder is that it sets very quickly, is still spreadable even if it seems solid and does not change the flavor of the jam. It is about 5 times more expensive than pectin and does not have the typical gelatin texture of pectin.
I also took some photos of ridiculous amounts of plastic at Target the other day:
You receive five cents back for every bag you bring to the store. . . .that can add up over time.
While I was petsitting my parents' two dogs and african grey parrot, I made more changes to my lifestyle. I have purchased more bins and tools to help me de-clutter and organize my life and home. I purchased two of the Umbra "crunchable hampers" to use at the grocery store and maybe the farmer's market. I bought both in the green colour. I have already used one and I really like it. It fits perfectly in a cart and holds everything I purchase.
I also purchased two of these bins to help organize my large amount of printer paper.
I also splurged on a Diva Cup. I will try it and give you guys a review later on.
My mom gave me a strange look, as usual since I started making these eco-friendly changes to my life. You should have seen her reaction to my use of the jars. Of course where my parents live, the idea of taking your own containers is awesome, but still very strange. I have definitely already seen benefits from using jars. I buy less and waste less food. I have also been using up foods in my cabinets that had been "lost" in the chaos of how the cabinets used to be. My life feels less stressful since I actually know where everything is now.
I did have a breakthrough with my mom though. I made her some homemade all purpose cleaner. The other day she tried it on their parrot's cage and loved it! She claims the vinegar based cleaner dissolves the feces and foods scraps very well. At least I convinced her to change one thing.
add a dash (about 1/2 a teaspoon) of peppermint extract
while stirring the mixture with a fork begin to add water to make into a paste, thickness of the paste is based on your preferences
Cover your toothpaste and use! I prefer adding the peppermint in order to get that "fresh, clean" feeling after using the toothpaste. I also believe it helps my breath. Please remember that there is alcohol in the extract. This toothpaste is not to be swallowed.
Do: Purchase bulk, unpackaged un processed items like grains, sugar, etc
Don't: Use plastic containers. These containers may leak harmful chemicals and fumes
Do: Use glass or ceramic storage containers. These containers are non toxic.
Don't: Purchase processed foods. These foods are made with harmful chemicals and are very bad for you.
Do: Take your own bags and containers to the grocery store and farmers market. This saves you time (you won't be fiddling with opening the plastic bags) and it will lower your trash amount while preventing more bags being put in the landfill. (I sew my own produce bags and use Bormioli Jars for Meats and Cheeses)
Don't: Overstock on canned foods. Canned foods are now known to leak BPA and are also very high in sodium and other hormones and chemicals.
Do: Make your own nontoxic house hold cleaners. This is good for the environment and your wallet.
Do: Stock reusable items. Reusing items is very good for the environment because they don't end up in a landfill and are also great for your wallet.
Do: Wash your laundry in cold water. This prevents colors from bleeding and saves energy.
Do: Eat seasonal vegetables and fruits. This is healthier for you and prevents the use of unneeded energy.
Here is how I make my homemade all-purpose household cleaner. This is a common recipe and my measurements may be different from other versions. This cleaner is extremely effective.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups White Vinegar (either buy in bulk or in a glass bottle)
2 tablespoons Castile Soap (use Lavender scented)
3 cups Water
34 oz glass/spray bottle (bottle shown purchased at Ikea)
Take your bottle and place a funnel in the opening.
Pour in your vinegar
Add your castile soap
Slowly add your water. The mixture will begin to create suds, so add water very slowly.
When all of the ingredients are in, close the bottle and shake lightly.
Add to spray bottle when needed. The castile soap and vinegar may separate, just shake the solution again.
Use this cleaner with microfiber cloths for best results.
Tip: To clean windows, just use water with your microfiber cloths.
Here are my new stainless steel utensils:
To give you an idea of how much tupperware my mom has, here is a photo of her cabinet:
I feel so free since I donated all of mine except my Preserve ones.
This week I am pet sitting my parents two dogs and parrot while they treat my grandparents to a cruise to Belize. Their house is very different than mine now. They rely more than anything on processed and packaged foods/items. My mom gave me strange looks when I took my jars and bags to the store. She understands, but thinks it's too different to do.
I will be buying my coffee in bulk and grinding it at home from now on. It is cheaper and you know the coffee is fresh. You can then store the coffee in an airtight container like a larger fido hermetic jar.
I will say one thing, they are lucky when it comes to their milk. Their grocery stores carry Oberweis Dairy Products. It's a dairy company in Northern Illinois. Oberweis sells their milk in returnable and reusable glass bottles. I am jealous. My co op used to sell milk in glass bottles, but I don't know what happened. I am going to keep two of the bottles for myself. They are very useful for storing things.
While shopping at one of their local grocery stores, I saw roma tomatoes on sale for $0.38 a lb. I bought about 5 lbs and made it into tomato paste/unseasoned sauce. I made exactly 2.5 liters of canned tomatoes.
I will say one thing, the hermetic jars do take longer to properly seal than the mason jars. I used my hermetic jars because the entire thing is reusable. Unfortunately, the lid of the mason jars aren't reusable.
I have also noticed that it is soo easy to marinate meat in the jars. I have been adding cut garlic cloves, pepper, salt and lemon juice to the meat over night. Definitely saves time. To also prevent creating waste, cook your meal in one dish. I cook a lot of my food in one skillet at the same time. I first place my vegetables in the skillet with 1/2 cup of water. Put the heat on high, add your meat, oil and spices. Cook until finished, you may want to flip your protein over to fully cook it.
I have decided to write a review about B.Y.O. Bags' mesh produce bags. These bags are American made in Minnesota. They are very beneficial and easy to use. I was introduced to the bags at my local co-op. Three bags, each a different size, are only $9.99. The price was wonderful. I purchased two sets of my own. I find that having three different sizes of the bags allows me to purchase larger produce than with some other cloth mesh bags available. The bags are colour coded. I have also found that my produce stays fresh longer than in plastic bags.
There are some downsides to the bags. I find that the bags have a habit of opening randomly when handled. I wish they had cord stoppers on them. I also find that it they get dirtied by a rotten vegetable, it is very difficult to remove the stain.
I do believe the benefits out weigh the cons. My trash amount has gone down by 2/3s and They are as light as a plastic bag at the store. I would definitely look into these bags.
We now have a Facebook page. Please join the community.
Here is the recipe for my homemade Vanilla Extract:
(bottle was purchased at Hobby Lobby)
slice two vanilla beans in half and then chop it up into 1.5" increments place the beans inside the bottle add the 400mL of vodka to the bottle with a funnel
Shake everyday and keep out of direct sunlight. Your extract should be useable within two weeks. Just continue to add more vodka and beans as you use the extract.
Today I went to Staples to pick up some dishwasher safe labels for my jars (for stable items such as flour, salt, etc.). While there I saw a package of 48 Marcal earth friendly rolls of toilet paper for only $24.99! Compared to Seventh Generation, the price was right. The toilet paper is 100% recycled paper. Each roll is wrapped in it's own paper, which can easily be recycled. The biggest downside is obvious, the plastic wrapping. I figure it is better than buying smaller amounts of toilet paper, which are also wrapped in plastic. I won't be buying any paper for quite a while. Since there are no places that sell Seventh Generation in bulk, I will continue to purchase my toilet paper from Staples. I know it sounds strange. hahaha
I would also like to mention that Hobby Lobby has all of their glass jars 50% off. I recently purchased 10+ jars for $34.00.
I have finally received the two components to set up my indoor compost bin. I purchased a "worm friendly habitat" and 1000 red worms. I set up the compost bin on Thursday, when these pictures were taken. The worms have begun to settle in. They definitely have enough food for quite a while.
This picture was taken Thursday and there is definitely more food and some more bedding in the bin now.
I'm hoping that having the compost bin will lower the amount of garbage I have going out.
I have also been making progress on my de-cluttering. I took a large bin and three grocery paper bags full of items to Goodwill today. I now need to work on de-cluttering the upstairs, go through all of my books and take the unused food to the food bank. Here are some photos of my progress so far.
cabinet number 1:
cabinet number 2:
One of the best things about a zero waste lifestyle is that almost every meal uses fresh ingredients. I am obviously working to rid of all of my packaged food. I think I'm doing an okay job so far. I am taking everything in my cabinets that I won't eat to the food pantry. I would rather it be used than thrown away.
Just as an update, my cockatiel Rosie is doing better. We are past the halfway point with the antibiotic. It has been difficult giving it to her, but it's working. I'm glad she's feeling better and eating more.
I have an iPhone 4s. As many of you know, it has a great camera on the phone. Since beginning this lifestyle, I have been using my iPhone to prevent the use of paper or stickers. I take photos of the item number and nutritional information on the bulk bin. This also allows me (who is a Weight Watcher) to know exactly what I'm eating and how much is in a serving.
This photo was taken from the bulk bin at my local co-op.
This photo was taken at the Iowa City Hyvee bulk section. I didn't realize that you actually have to weigh your selection at this store and get a sticker. I refuse to get the sticker, so I will just continue photographing the info and then deal with it at the checkout.
Taking photos instead of writing down all of the info has made my life much easier.
I have also been sewing more produce bags for at the market. I realized that while I like the coolhats.biz bags, I prefer my homemade ones more. They are sturdier, it's easy to put things in them and tie the string around the top of the bag to keep them shut. I have had issues with the other ones, where they will burst open randomly. This can be quite annoying. I will continue to use them though. Tonight I sewed 7 more bags. Four of the bags are for my mom, pictured below. I basically just go to a fabric store like Joann's and purchased several fat quarters in fabrics I like and sew them up. I will need to post how I sew them, they're really easy. I am a horrible sewer, but I can still make them.
I really do wish more grocery stores would have a bulk section. Where my parents live, there are no bulk sections, so they must buy things in packaging. I am hoping that they will start using the bags for produce at least. That should cut down on the number of plastic bags brought home. I need to look further into other solutions for them also. My mom has type 2 diabetes and I really believe that she could benefit from only bulk shopping. It does tend to limit your selections to healthier choices.
What would you guys do? The closest Whole Foods is an hour away and not worth it for weekly shopping.
