The Root of all Evil: Resolution 2013 (MM)

Heyya lovlies!

This year things will change, though I do not think the change will be anything like the major changes that have occurred in the years past.  This year I want the changes to be simple, to be building upon continuous improvement to my already minimalist and environmentalist system.

Use it or lose it: Continuous Improvement to Minimalist Endeavors

This year my goal is to run a “zero waste” household.  I say it in quotations because it is highly improbable to live in an apartment in the city and be completely 0 waste, but i want to get us as close to 0 as possible. My goal is less than 5% household waste.  I will measure this by the number of bags of garbage and recycling taken out a week.  Currently we take out 2-4, 13 gallon bags every two days.  I want to  bring that down to 1 bag a week each of recycling and 1 bag garbage or less.  Going from at most 13 bags down to at most 2 bags a week is quite a difference- manageable but changing….

One of the things I have newly incorporated is taking the ends of veggies you typically shove down the garbage disposal, or softer veggies that you would normally discard, and using them.  I have a bag in the freezer I have labeled the “roots of all evil” and in it are the rough ends of onion, carrot, potato skins, celery ends, etc.  once i fill up the gallon size bag i boil it in either bean stock (the bean juice from cans of chili or black beans, which I also save and freeze) or salt pepper and about a quarter the depth of water to veggies in the pot.  Once soft I puree it.  It typically looks a green or bizarre rusty color, but it can be used as is or added to anything from roasts, slow cooker meals, soups, chili, or pasta/sauces.  You can added it to small bursts of things like spaghetti sauce to sneak attack anti-veggie kids or add noodles and chopped up other veggies to the puree to make a hearty winter soup.  We figured this over the course of a month would save us about 2-4 meals worth of main course meals-or roughly $50-75.00 a month, in our 7 person household.

One of the things my fantastic partner brought to the table,  is saving our frying oil for multiple uses.  We do not have a fryer, nor do we fry often, but when we doo it seems so foolish to throw away a few cups of oil on one meal.  Because oil is heated to a high temp when frying any and all potential bacteria will be burned off  during the current use and prior to the next use as it heats. Oil is a preservative, so molding is not a huge issue either. We have a separate labeled air tight container that we use for it.  Once the oil gets too chunky or cloudy we will discard it and start over, and clean out the container to begin again.  This is our first attempt at this but will probably render us about $20.00 in grocery savings a month.

Egg-shell calcium supplements- Egg shells contain great amounts of calcium.  And typically this great benefit to the egg is discarded or wasted- but it does not have to be.  Come spring, I typically buy my eggs from a local farmer every Sat morning otherwise, I buy Wisconsin (local) eggs at the store and avoid ones that have growth hormones added.  When I use an egg, I have a container in my fridge i throw the eggshells until i get through about 12 of them I do not store open shells with whole unused ones..  Then I lay them out on a sheet pan and cook them (any membrane insides left there are fine to leave on) and I cook them at 375 degrees for less than 15 min, pulling them out before they burn, but cooked long enough to kill bacteria and make them brittle-a little browning is fine. You can also boil them.  Then i grind them up in a coffee bean grinder until they are a fine powder and place it in a mason jar.  Every meal i make, or bread dough, etc i take and add 1/2 teaspoon of this powder to it to increase the calcium content and get my family closer to the daily needed amounts.  Of the seven of us, three do not drink milk or eat enough food with calcium, and one has a dairy restriction-so anything I can do to help them avoid brittling of their bones during the growth periods will do nothing but help.  I have attached a link to better assist:

http://thehealthyadvocate.com/2010/06/01/eggshells-a-bioavailable-source-of-calcium/

Egg Shells as a Bioavailable Calcium Source

Even though calcium isn’t the only mineral we need for strong bones, it is an important nutrient to consume to ensure adequate protection of them. Eggshells are about 90-95% calcium carbonate, and is easily absorbable by our bodies, unlike most dairy products and fortified foods today. This is a completely safe and health source of calcium that anyone can incorporate into their diets.

Find a source of locally grown, free range and organic eggs. The likeliness that you contract salmonella from raw eggs and egg shells are actually quite low, and in fact decrease when choosing local, free range organic eggs. In fact, nutrient quality (such as omega-3 fatty acids) are much more available in these eggs, compared to ones you find at the store.

Use the eggs as you normally would, and instead of discarding the egg shells, run them under clean, cool water. Make sure to get all the egg white out of the egg shell. You can then boil the egg shell in hot water, if you feel as though you need to kill any bacteria, and then place it in a place to air dry. Then, using a blender or coffee grinder, pulverize the egg shell into a powder.

1/2 tsp. of dry, powered egg shell contains around 400 mg of calcium. The average person should consume around 1000 mg of calcium, which is easily done if you are eating a proper diet.

or this may help:

http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/how-to-make-calcium-using-egg-shells

How to Make Powdered Eggshells:

1. Wash empty eggshells in warm water until all of the egg white is removed, but do not remove the membrane because it contains important nutrients for the joints which helps arthritis.
2. Lay broken pieces out on paper towels and allow them to air dry thoroughly.
3. Break the eggshells up into small pieces, and grind them to into a fine powder in a food processor, blender, coffee grinder, or a nut mill, or put them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to grind them. Please note that some blenders will not grind the eggshell into a fine enough powder. A coffee grinder works the best.
4. Store powdered eggshells in a covered glass jar or container.  Keep it in a dry place, like the kitchen cupboard.

Employment Goals:

The other thing I want to do is teach.  I have applied at many a private school in this area.  The pay is significantly less but the ability to teach the importance of moral code, ethics, environmental and healthy food goals to the youth of today and the adults of tomorrow is worth it to me.

The “You Grow Girl! model/goal:

My last and final goal is to grow “city girl style” meaning that I have no plot of land to grow viable food on, but I have plenty of space internal to grow in.

I have started the process of obtaining a christmas light garden.  I bought soil and a large storage tote and red LED lights.  I need seeds, LED blue lights and electricity and I should be able to grow in there, with the lid on the same way the sun grows things out side, just without needing weather to assist or demise my crops.  I am going to start with beans and carrots and move on from there if it works.

I would also like to try a hydroponic herb grower for the herbs I use very frequently and like fresh.

Currently growing/fermenting, etc:

Temprenillo -due late 2013/2014

A trappist-style beer-due 2014

Belgian “orange” beer- due 2013

Portobella mushroom kit-Mycellium is in initial stages-first crop expected feb 2013.

 

So, as you can see we are off to a busy year so far already only a few days in to the new year.  I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts as we continue on another year of life style changes in search of a more fulfilling life experience.  Thank you all for following in 2012! happy 2013!

 

Minimal Mommy says:

Make life an expereince-not a burden.