NON EDIBLES: Baby Wipes, Disinfecting Wipes and Laundry Soap

JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T ALREADY THINK I'M A TREE-HUGGING, HIPPIE FREAK...

I try to be GREEN whenever possible.  I use cloth napkins and wash clothes in my home instead of paper or disposable. I keep a basket of napkins and cloths right on the kitchen counter for kid fingers and faces and paint spills and whatever else life throws at me.  I also keep a laundry basket by the kitchen door so I can just throw the dirties there and add it to whatever load of laundry is up next.  I don't care that my napkins aren't perfectly white or creased, because they are intended for formal use.  I use them to be GREEN.  So they might look a little stained, but the family and day care kids know to use them instead of throwing out disposables.  

But even I think there are times when a disposable wipe is a good idea.  And it is certainly more green to make them than it is to purchase all the plastic packaging.  So I still feel good and green even when I use my disposable wipes.  And I love making laundry soap instead of buying those large plastic or hard cardboard containers.

BABY WIPES

I make homemade baby wipes from paper towels.  It saves a ton of money and I can decide what goes in them.  They do not dry baby/kid skin the way the purchased wipes do so I feel good using them on faces and hands whenever needed. In the summer time I keep a big container in the van for all our road trips.  This is a basic "recipe" that you can adjust.  I used to add fresh aloe to it for my son who had sensitive skin.  I have also added essential oils for scents.  You can try other "add-ins" if you like.

Buy a good quality paper towel that has no designs or color.  If you use the choose-a-size paper towels you get smaller wipes, but I still find those to work just fine. Purchase a container that is tall enough to fit a half a roll of paper towels.  I found mine at Target, but I'm sure there are others.  I cut a hole in the top of mine so that I can pull the wipes out one at a time.  You don't have to do that, but it does make life a little easier.  I also go through a lot of wipes, so I don't worry that mine will dry out. Once you have a good container, you are set for years of environmentally friendly, inexpensive and good smelling baby wipes for far less than you can purchase in the store.  This container in the picture (that I took today as I made wipes) is almost 10 years old. 

BABY WIPES

2 c. warm water

2 T. baby oil or lotion

2 T. baby body soap

(any add ins you prefer)

Whisk all together in the container. 

Then cut a roll of paper towels in half with a large, serrated bread knife and pull out the center cardboard tube.  Stand up one half roll in the liquid, put lid on top and flip over.  (If you cut a hole in the top, just use some plastic wrap under the lid to seal it while it soaks up the liquid.) Let sit up-side-down for about 1 hour so all liquid is absorbed.  Depending on the type of paper towels, you may want to adjust the water a little bit.

DISINFECTING WIPES

Use the same process/techniques as the baby wipes.  Just carefully measure about 2 t. Lysol or other disinfecting cleaner into the 2 c. of warm water instead of the baby soap and lotion.  Whisk it together well before adding the half roll of paper towels.

I keep a container of these in the kids' bathroom for those little boys who have a trouble hitting the toilet! : )   Please note, though, that these are not flushable.  Also, you may want to clearly label these wipes and keep them behind closed doors where children cannot get to them. 

LAUNDRY SOAP

This one is the easiest of all and I can't believe I haven't been using this my whole life.  Very easy to make a large batch about once a month.  This method costs less than 3 cents per load, while the brand name laundry soaps cost about 74 cents a load (in my town at the time I'm typing this at least).  Plus, the homemade method saves so many plastic containers and unnecessary waste.  It basically has no smell (unless you add scented oils safe for soap).  So we buy the "outdoor fresh" dryer sheets to add that fresh scent to our clothes.  This soap WORKS.  It gets clothes clean.  I still use bleach occasionally on the whites, and I often times still add a little Oxy Clean to those kid clothes that are covered in mud and grass (and who know what else) stains.  I usually make a double batch (2 gallons) at a time.  If you have a 5 gallon bucket, that will work as well.  The basic list I gave is for 1 gallon of finished laundry soap, so adjust it accordingly if you are making a large batch.  If you add a scent to it, be sure that you are adding oils meant to be used in soaps.  You don't want oil stains on your clothes, so be careful what you add. 

Borax and Washing Soda were easily found in my local store right with the other laundry detergent.  I know there are many slight variations to this basic recipe. If something works particularly well for you, let me know!

Basic Ingredient List for 1 gallon of laundry soap:

1/4 c. grated bar soap--use a natural, no dyes, no scents soap like Ivory

a heaping 1/4 c. Washing Soda

a heaping 1/4 c. Borax

Use a metal pot that IS NOT COATED with non-stick surface.  The soap gets into the non stick and your food will taste soapy!  Use metal utensils, too, since the soapy taste can permeate wooden spoons or plastic utensils.

Bring about 3 cups water and the grated soap to a boil  in the pot.  Let boil about 1 minute until soap is all dissolved.  Turn the heat off and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir it well. This may cause a bubbling, so be sure your pot is big enough to handle that without spilling over.

 

Place about 3 cups cold water in the bottom of your 1 gallon container.  (I stole a couple of these 1 gallon ice cream containers after a party at a friend's house one night and they work great.)  Add the hot liquid slowly.  You do not want the hot liquid to melt your plastic container.  Add enough water to the container to make 1 gallon and stir lightly.  Cover and let the solution sit overnight.  It will gel slightly when cooled and will be a little "chunky" like a thick soup.

Use 1/2 cup detergent to a normal size load of laundry.  For particularly soiled loads, I use 3/4 cup.  Add the soap to the water and let washer fill most of the way full before adding clothes.  This solution is safe to use with bleach or Oxy Clean.

Maria B's Green Enchilada Soup (V and GF)

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law.  She made it for my family when we visited a few weeks ago and it was AWE (wait for it...) SOME. We all loved it so I asked her for a list of ingredients.  Well, I scratched down what was IN the soup, but didn't really write down amounts or measurements.  So I decided to give it a go this past weekend.  Turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

I used dried navy beans in my recipe.  I soaked and rinsed them according to directions, then just added everything together in a pot and cooked at a simmer/low boil for about 90 minutes.  Cooking from dried beans gave the soup a creamy texture and really left no need to thicken it all.  If you use canned navy beans, go ahead and rinse them first.  You may want to thicken the final soup with a flour or cornstarch slurry.

Using the canned enchilada soup makes this super easy and fast to throw together.  Put it on if you have guests joining you for supper and no additional work is needed.  Serve it up with some corn tortillas (warmed), some corn bread or just some tortilla strips.  It has a little heat to it (even though it was all "mild") so a little salad on the side would compliment it nicely.  If you like more heat, serve it with some freshly diced jalapeno.

I had a little leftover and froze it for today's lunch.  One little day care girl ate 3 bowls of it! 

SIDE NOTE: As I was eating it, I felt inspired me to make a new enchilada dish.  I think I'll work on a new recipe for White Bean Enchiladas with Green Chili Sauce.  I'll let you know when I get a good recipe worked out for those.  But, for now, on to the soup!

GREEN ENCHILADA SOUP
1 bag (about 3 cups dried) Navy Beans, soaked and rinsed according to package directions
6 c. Veggie Broth (I used No-Chicken Broth)
2 c. water
1 large onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (4.5 oz) cans mild chopped green chilis
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1 (28 oz) can mild green enchilada sauce

Add all ingredients to soup pot.  Bring to a low boil then turn down heat.  Simmer with lid tilted for about 90 minutes or until beans are desired doneness.

Serve with fresh cilantro, lime wedges and chopped green onion for toppings.

Not-cho Cheese Sauce (GF and V)

Hee-hee!  Get it?  NOT-cho cheese sauce!  You know, because it's NOT cheese.  Because vegans don't eat cheese.  So it's NOT-cho cheese sauce.  Get it?  I know.  Hilarious. 



Steak fries with cheese sauce.  Roasted veggies on the side.

 Okay, I'm over it. My family LOVED this cheese sauce.  I made baked potatoes with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and smothered it all in this sauce as a one bowl meal.  So yummy.   My hubby ate THREE potatoes with this sauce.  That's how good it is.  My kids were licking the bowls clean, literally.  (Note to self--work on kid's manners.)

And it's not just me.  I gave some to a friend who is going vegan and is trying to transition her family into eating a little healthier.  They loved it, too! 

I used our leftover baked potatoes tonight.  I tossed them with a little olive oil and baked them for about 25 minutes. Then I served the steak fries with the cheese sauce.  You can serve it up over any tators or use for nachos.  Use it to make that famous salsa and cheese dip, or add in a cup of broth and use it to make baked macaroni.  Drizzle it over your veggies.  Use it anyway you would use melted cheddar/American cheese sauce.  I like to stir in a few jalapenos for a little heat.

It's a pretty easy recipe, so hopefully you give it a try.  Soaking the cashews first makes it a creamier texture, but if you don't soak them you can just process it longer in the blender and it will have a slightly different texture.  I actually couldn't find raw cashews in our local, small town grocery so I used the lightly salted and soaked them longer in hot water.

I looked all over on the web to find a good vegan nacho cheese, but ended up just using those as a guide.  I put my own spin on it and I hope you enjoy it.

NANETTE'S NOT-CHO CHEESE SAUCE
1/2 - 1 c. raw cashews (soak in warm water for at least 1 hour)
1 1/2 c. cold water (plus more for desired consistency)
2 slices of roasted red peppers (jarred) or 1/2 red pepper that you roasted
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste
2 T. vegan butter

Drain the cashews and then place all ingredients in blender and process for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk sauce in a saucepan over medium high heat until thickened and bubbly.  Add water to desired consistency. Serve warm.  Stir in a small can of diced chilis or some chopped jalapenos if you like.  

Poached Veggies with Lemon Vinaigrette (GF and V)

I saw a beautiful photo in the new Vegetarian Times magazine.  Lots of yummy veggies and a mound of barley all on a plate with a lemon.  Looked so good.  But when I read the recipe, it turned out to be a cold salad on romaine lettuce.  I live in Iowa and it's February and it's cold.  I need a hot supper.  So I revamped it just a touch and served up a hot dish for my family. 

As you are buying the veggies for this, it does seem like you are buying a lot and you'll never eat them all.  It was a lot, but I steamed the extra veggies the next night on the side with grilled portabellas. Plan accordingly.

When poaching veggies, be sure to have all your food prepped first.  Have your pans ready, your veggies cleaned and cut and your steamer hot.  Have your tongs and spoons ready to go and your vinaigrette whisked up and ready to drizzle. Once you start cooking, it goes very quickly.

Poaching vegetables is easy.  The trick is to start the "tough" ones first, then add in the quicker cooking ones later.  Simply use salted water kept at a slight simmer/boil.  Small bubbles should be around the edges of the pan, but no big bubbles coming from the flat bottom of the pan.  Keep it quick, too, so you don't end up with mush.  You want some texture left in your veggies.  Just soften them a touch, and make sure they are warmed through.  That's it.  Poaching is really fast--2-6 minutes tops even for bigger veggies.

Prep your barley first by cooking it according to the directions on the box.  I cooked mine in some veggie broth with a little thyme.  Nothing fancy. While it sat it's needed 10 minutes, I poached and steamed the veggies.

My list of veggies for the night was fennel (cleaned and quartered), carrots (cleaned and halved lengthwise), zucchini (cut into sticks), asparagus and sugar snap peas.  Served it up on a bed of steamed kale with a scoop of barley to boot.

I poached the fennel first for about 2 minutes.  Added carrots for 2 minutes.  Then added everything except the kale for 2 minutes.  I steamed the kale while the others poached and then served everything on top of it.

My lemon vinaigrette was a simple mix of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, a little sugar, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  I also sprinkled a little crushed red pepper on mine.

Very simple and fash and healthful and yummy.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Veggie Container

I have a very large container that I use for veggies.  I fill it up one to two times a week and we eat off of it for lunches and supper as our favorite side dish.  My kids love "MUNCHIE LUNCHIES" where we have veggies and popcorn and cut-up fruit to eat with colored toothpicks.  We all sit around the ottoman or the kitchen bar and munch together.  Every time I get this container out, my daycare kids gather up and start digging in.  I use a huge variety of veggies based on what's available, but I always try to keep it colorful.  I also try to mix it up each week so it isn't the same old carrots and celery. And I don't really mind if they fill up on veggies.  It's a great option for all of us.  I put this out as I'm cooking, beside meals, or just set in on the table for snack time with some wheat crackers or peanut butter for dipping.  I also use it if I need a veggie to add to soups or dishes.

Our veggie container is 12" across and 5" deep.  Biggest one I could find.

This week we had grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, purple cauliflower (orange is fun, too), zucchini strips and baby sweet peppers. I also have a container of cut celery and carrots in addition to this, but I keep those in a small amount of water to keep them from shriveling up. This container plus the carrots and celery will last just under a week.

The comment I hear most from non-vegans is how expensive health food is to feed a hungry family.  Yes, veggies cost money.  But think about what you're getting for the price--better health.  In the long run, NOT paying for a hospital stay, surgery, days off of work, etc. etc. are well worth the price.  And, even though I buy a lot of veggies, my grocery bill is still FAR FAR lower than it's ever been.  When you eat whole-grains and whole-foods and fruits and veggies you stay fuller longer on less food.  I don't mind spending money on veggies (or vegan milks or nuts or fresh fruits or other health food items) because I know the savings I earn in good health.  Some things are worth the cost. 

Using Dried Beans and Recipe for Navy Beans (GF and V)

I found a bag of dried white beans as I was rummaging through the pantry yesterday.  I was actually looking for hidden chocolate that we might have forgotten, but I found beans instead. Sounds disappointing, but turned out to be a really good, comfort food kind of supper.

I could eat beans and rice every day.  I love them. And there are so many varieties. Choose a bean and then pick a type of seasoning.  The same ol' beans and rice turn into a brand new dish.

Back beans--add in Citrus or Mexican seasonings

Red beans--add in Chili, Cajun or BBQ seasoning

White beans--add in Italian seasoning

Mixed beans--go crazy!

If you haven't used dried beans before, I would really recommend giving it a try.  I use canned beans all the time because it's quick and easy.  But dried beans really have a great texture and better flavor.  And you can control the sodium content much better.  Dried beans are cheap and easy.  Give it a try.

I'll give you a few hints and notes on dried beans. Some beans require soaking, others do not.  This is a general idea as to how to cook most any dried bean.  Then use them however you like.  My recipe for Navy Beans and Rice is below.  We had a simple supper of rice and beans (in a bowl) with freshly chopped veggies on the side.

DRIED BEAN NOTES AND HINTS
1.  Dried beans expand by about 2.5 times when cooked.  So 1 cup of dried equals about 2.5 cups cooked.  

2.  Be sure to look through your dried beans and pull out any that look suspicious (way off color or shape) and double check there's no stones or other natural debris in your beans.  Rinse them a few times and look through them before placing in a bowl to soak.

3.  Soaking dried beans overnight helps to eliminate some of that unwanted "gas factor" often experienced with beans.

4.  Place cleaned beans in a large bowl covered with a lot of cold water (use about 3-4 cups of water for every cup of beans).  Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight (at least--can be left for a couple days if you want).  NOT ALL DRIED BEANS NEED SOAKING.  So just check the bag when you buy them to see if they need it or not.

5.  After soaking, rinse and drain your beans again a few times until the water off of them is clear.

6.  DO NOT ADD SALT until your beans are done cooking.  The salt prevents the beans from soaking up the water and they won't cook as well.  Cook and then season.

7.  Place the beans in a large pot, cover with broth or water and cook on a low boil/simmer for 60-90 minutes or until desired consistency.  Some beans are bigger and require more time, some are smaller and cook faster. I like my beans with a little texture to them, so I go a shorter time.  If you like them softer, cook a little longer.  Just bite into one and see how they are.

8.  Some beans will have a foam on the top of the water while cooking.  Skim it off or it will boil over and make a mess.

9.  Cooked beans freeze well.  Drain and put in baggies making sure to eliminate any extra air.

NAVY BEANS AND RICE
1 lb. dried white beans
6 cups water and/or veggie broth
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
Crushed red pepper (optional) to taste

Clean, rinse and soak beans overnight as directed on package.  Rinse and drain.  Place beans in large soup pot and cover with water/broth mixture.  Add in onion, garlic, bay leaf and Italian seasoning.  Simmer uncovered about 90 minutes until beans are desired consistency.  Most of the liquid should be absorbed, so the beans and broth will end up the consistency of stew.  If it is thickening too quickly, add in water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Squeeze in fresh lemon juice and stir in parsley.  Serve over brown or white rice.   

No-Bake Cocoa Drop Cookies

Not necessarily a healthy choice, but a good sweet treat for a night hanging with friends and kids.  The trick is to buy a good, quality cocoa.  I get mine at a chocolaterie in Ames. Well worth the extra price.  I'm sorry I don't have a photo for this one, but my guests the other night ate them all before I could get one!

NO-BAKE COCOA DROP COOKIES

1 3/4 cups white sugar

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup vegan butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put sugar, soy milk, vegan butter and cocoa powder in saucepan and bring to boil while stirring constantly.  When it reaches a full boil, let it boil for 90 seconds.  Turn off heat.  Stir in peanut butter, oats and vanilla.  Drop onto wax paper or cookie sheet and let cool completely.