I'm Back...

(So, I bet you were thinking that since I hadn't posted anything in over a month, I had given up on blogging, just as I had predicted I would. Not so fast! I haven't actually given up - I just spent the last few weeks composing, revising and eventually scrapping several posts in my head, until I came up with the perfect one. Of course, now that I told you this, you will be expecting to be blown away and will be sadly disappointed. Don't say I didn't warn you...)

I am not one of those radical environmentalists who vandalize SUVs or spend a year living in a tree. (Not that there is anything wrong with this. I mean, tree-dwelling is a perfectly valid lifestyle choice; it's just not for me.) However, I do feel that our bigger-better-faster-more mentality is harmful, not just to the environment, but also to our physical health and mental well-being. For a long time I felt that I had been "doing my part": I don't own a car, I recycle, I've been a vegetarian for nearly eighteen years. But lately I've started to realize that every choice I make, no matter how seemingly small, has long-lasting and far-reaching consequences. So, I decided to institute several changes in my family's lifestyle in order to make us more conscious consumers.

Some of these changes were so ridiculously easy and cheap that I am almost embarrassed for not doing them sooner:

-Give up paper coffee cups and plastic water bottles. I was lucky enough to have a collection of Starbucks mugs that I have "acquired" over the years. (Hey, what else are you supposed to do with the used mugs that picky people have returned because they are too small, too red, or don't "fit their mouth right"?) Not only are these mugs environmentally friendly, they are also very travel-friendly. As anyone who has spilled soy chai all over themselves while trying to balance a coffee cup in one hand and push an unwieldy umbrella stroller with the other knows, paper cups are most definitely not. I did have to dole out some cash for a pretty, shiny blue aluminum Sigg water bottle which I am now enamored of, so it was money well spent.

-Give up shopping bags (both paper and plastic). Reusable shopping bags cost about a dollar at the grocery store, although we usually just throw everything in the basket in the bottom of the stroller.

-Make my own cleaning supplies. Sure, you can buy those "all-natural" cleaning products, but why spend the money when all you need is baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice?

-Make my own granola. This sounds about as hippie as you can get, but it is easy, healthier than anything you would buy in the store and oh-so-fun. Even Soren loves to help. After much trial-and-error, I have come up with a basic recipe that is very adaptable and yummy. Here it is, for anyone who is interested:

4 cups uncooked oats (I like the extra thick ones; they are so cheap in bulk)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Any or all of the following:
Unsweetened coconut
Sliced almonds, cashews, pecans
Wheat germ, wheat bran, flax seeds, sesame seeds
Dried fruit (Trader Joe's sells a mix of cherries, raisins and blueberries that works wonderfully)

Preheat oven to 250-300 degrees. (Most granola recipes I found say 300, but I have found that it is too hot; maybe it's just my oven.) Melt the butter and honey on the stove top. Combine all other ingredients EXCEPT THE DRIED FRUIT in a bowl and add the melted butter and honey. Stir and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for about half an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven, add the dried fruit and eat with Nancy's Plain Organic Low-Fat Yogurt. That's it. Really, it's that easy. Also, if you want to make it even healthier (or vegan) and give it a fruity taste, substitute 1/4 cup frozen juice concentrate and 1/4 cup canola oil for the butter. If you do this, you should also cut back on the honey a little so it's not super sweet and don't melt it first. Either way, it will be so good, you'll never buy boxed cereal or granola again.


Other things have been a little harder to implement:

-Give up all pre-packaged foods, including chips and crackers. I have a "salty-tooth" and have been known to consume an entire bag of Sun Chips in one sitting, so this has been an unsuccessful endeavor so far. I have attempted to make my own crackers, but they have never turned out quite right. I just got a new cracker recipe from Trista (aka The Baking Diva) so I am hopeful.

-Make my own shampoo and other beauty products. I have just not been able to sacrifice my deliciously fruity smelling Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner. I'm working on it though, and will keep you updated.

I dream of the day that I have my own house with a garden, compost pile and (in my really crazy dreams) solar panels, but for now I am taking it one step at a time. If anyone has any tips, advice, etc, please let me know. And don't worry, I will chronicle all of my adventures on this blog for my loyal readers (all two of you). Now I must go make Potato-Edamame Samosas with Coconut-Mint Chutney from a recipe out of my new vegan cookbook. Yum.