Thursday, August 28, 2008

A few vacation photos





We had a great time, and I'm looking forward to sharing some cheaper greener tips with you when I finish the ridiculous amount of laundry we came home with!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Oh Vacation, how I love thee...

We're off to Cape Cod for a week-- I'll post some pictures and stories when we get back. Wish us some sunshine (especially for the wedding on the beach Sunday morning)!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Zucchini anyone?


My parents keep trying to pawn off zucchini on us--as usual they planted WAY too much. I do like zucchini, but there is only so much boiled squash I can make my husband eat before he starts whining. For those of you who have the zucchini overload like us, here are some ways to use it up (some of these even work for the ones that resemble baseball bats!)

*Zucchini parmesan (you can make it just like the eggplant variety)
*sauteed zucchini with sweet onion in olive oil, then topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan
*Zucchini bread/muffins--there are lots of good recipes out there (my fav. is listed below)
*add zucchini to soup
*ratatouille (great for using up tomato overload as well)
*for big ugly zucchini, grate it up, and then you can use it fresh or freeze it to use later

I also thought this was hilarious, but I'm a day late--oh well, maybe next year!
Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night

Stef's favorite zucchini muffins
Makes 12

3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. plain yogurt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. shredded zucchini, drained a little bit, especially if using frozen
1/4 c. raisins and/or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 and lightly grease 12 muffin cups. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients (except zucchini, raisins and nuts) in separate bowls, then add dry to wet and mix until batter forms. Fold in zucchini/raisins/nuts. Bake 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Monday, August 4, 2008

By golly it worked!

SLEEP! Glorious, precious, wonderful sleep! I got some--and it was marvelous!
And there wasn't much crying either. :o)

Sunday, August 3, 2008

This is your brain on no sleep...

My 7 month old is on sleep strike (which has been going on for over 2 months now)--so today we're rearranging some furniture and putting him in his own room. I hate to do it, and there is going to be some crying involved (no, not just me), but I have to because hubby and I can't survive with only 3-4 hours of sleep per night.

Scrambled brains aside, if anyone has ideas to help this kid sleep, please speak up. We've tried just about everything and nothing has worked. My baby actually has DARK CIRCLES under his eyes--they're not as gargantuan as mine, but they're definitely noticable. Here's to hoping for a good night's sleep!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Blogging the RECESSION...

I don't know too many people who aren't affected by this "downturn" crap, my own family included (hello? anybody want to buy a car from my hubby in the middle of a recession?). So when Kristin over at Motherhood Uncensored challenged us to "blog the recession", I was totally on board. The idea is that we all put the piggy button on our blog so that our readers can check out what other bloggers have to say about the recession and all things related. For those of us that make a little bit of money from page traffic, this may help bump up our income (ooohhh an extra 21 cents- I can buy 0.05 gallons of gas!)

Since I haven't done cheaper greener tips in a while, now seems like an appropriate time to revive that practice and give you all something to gnaw on. Oh, and click the piggy to see what everyone else is saying about this economic catastrophe.

Cheaper Greener tips- come on people, pinch those pennies!

*STOP eating so much meat! Meat is relatively expensive and we greedy Americans on average eat way more than we should. Even cutting back by eating meatless a few nights per week can make a significant difference in your grocery bill and your health. There are plenty of other protein sources that are cheaper and better for you. Try cooking with tofu, beans, or nuts. Or stretch a little bit of ground beef with lentils. I made enchiladas the other night using a mixture of ground turkey and lentils--they were delicious!

*STOP buying paper products (well, maybe toilet paper is okay- I'm not THAT hardcore!)
Trade your disposable diapers and wipes for cloth ones, instead of tissues, use a hanky, use real plates instead of paper, no more napkins or paper towels--you can buy cloth ones cheap! use reusable containers with lids instead of plastic baggies/wrap for everything.

*STOP making so many trips everywhere--it is a waste of gas and time! Plan ahead and do all your errands on one day. Make a list so you don't have to go back to the grocery store to get things you forgot.

*GET ORGANIZED! If you're living in chaos, it's easy for bills to get lost in the clutter and not get paid on time--which costs you extra. When you're not organized, you end up buying more of things you already have. If you're looking for cleaning inspiration, (or a kick in the rear) check out http://www.flylady.net/ For financial inspiration (and a plan to get out of debt, try http://www.daveramsey.com/

And a photo of the cutie for good measure: