Green Laundry Tips

Green Laundry Tips


1. Choose a natural, yuck free detergent.

My personal favorite is Charlies Soap.
Charlie's has a nice fresh smell, but no scent. I hope that makes sense. Your clothes will smell clean, but not like roses or any other yucky, fake smells. Charlie's is suitable for HE washers. It requires only a tablespoon for a large load. Charlie provides the measuring device in the bag. I like to buy my Charlie's from Amazon because it is like a dollar cheaper. You can also find it at Whole Foods.

I have tried making my own detergent with Borax, washing soda, and castile soap. It works pretty well, but Charlie's seems to have more stain removing power. An important feature when you have boys.

2. Consider Line Drying

There are many benefits to drying your clothes on a clothes line. It saves energy and gives you the opportunity to get some fresh air. It also reduces the wear on your clothes so that they last longer, thereby reducing the need to buy new. See, line drying is awesome! I have been line drying everything (including undies) for the past month. I am anxious to see how it effects our electric bill. I will let you know in a later post.

I will warn you that clothes are a little stiffer. Towels are a lot stiffer, but it is a small price to pay.

3. Wear something more than once.

This one is hard for me. I practically rip the clothes of our children to wash. I follow my husband around waiting for clothing to drop and I like a nice, fresh crisp outfit each day. However, this is really silly. If you are not running marathons or living in 100 degree Nashville, then wearing an outfit twice is a good idea.

4. If you really must use your dryer, when there is a perfectly hot sun outside then please nix the dryer sheet.

Dryer sheets are gross. I know, they smell "nice". All you need to soften your clothes is a bit of white vinegar in the softener section of your washer. Your clothes will not smell like vinegar, I promise.

Vegan Pudding

Tofu Pudding- Vegan

14 oz Silken Tofu
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup agave
1 Tbsp vanilla

Blend in blender.

Warning: Michael thinks this tastes really gross. Me, I love it.

Granola Bars

Granola Bars- Not Vegan

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat bran
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
3/4 cup goodies (chocolate chips, PB chips, raisens) I usually reduce this ingredient to 1/2 cup at most
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil - I often reduce this if I add PB
2 tsp vanilla

Variations:
For Michael:
1/2 cup brown sugar
Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup PB chips
1/2 agave
1/4 canola
Big ol' spoon of PB

For Boys:
All purpose flour - Connor turns his nose up at whole wheat
1/2 cup ground flax instead of wheat bran
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat to 350. Grease 9x13 glass pan. Mix oats, sugar, wheat bran, cinnamon, flour, goodies, salt. Make a well in center, pour in honey or agave, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Pat in to pan. Bake 18 minutesish.

Whole Wheat Pancakes - Vegan

Whole Wheat Pancakes- Vegan

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking power (Alum free of course!)
1 tsp of salt
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 Tbsp olive oil

Ok, so officially you are supposed to sift the flour, baking powder and salt. However, my sifter died the Christmas of 2008. The boss man has restricted my budget, so I don't sift. The results are heavier, but just as tasty to me.

So, sift or not the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add liquids and stir. Cook on a hot griddle.

Warning: These pancakes do not taste like light, fluffy, tasty white pancakes. But, if you are looking for a healthy alternative, these are great. Personally, I love these!

Dear Santa,

I know you are busy this time of year preparing for Christmas and I am sorry to bother you. I was wondering if for Christmas this year, you could send me a note to let me know how to stop thinking about the problems of the world. I am pretty sure that these thoughts were sent to me in error. They must have been intended for someone smart, powerful, wealthy and mentally stable. I am not really sure, but I know that simply thinking is not going to result in change.

Santa, please let me know how to remove these thoughts. I promise I will leave out extra cookies this year in return.

Your faithful believer,
Melanie Marie