HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the new year and I've been trying to think about what it is that I did last year that I liked and what I would like to continue doing so that those things can become automatic and part of my whole lifestyle in the future. One of those things is vegetarian eating with an emphasis on more vegan food. I have been doing great eating vegan at home thanks to my Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Comfort Food cookbooks, as well as several food blogs including Vegan Crunk and Vegan Dad. So far this year, with the exception of one tuna sandwich, I have not eaten any meat, and I'm trying to continue with that- one meal at a time.

I have been trying to recycle more, both with "trash" going out back for recycling pick up and also by repurposing things that aren't necessarily trash- like glass sauce jars. I even just remembered to put some paper bags by the door for when I go to the grocery store later today. Woohoo! :-)

I am slowly getting stuff together to sell on Etsy. I paint and have been trying to make other things as well and I would like to develop that into a successful side business- to both help support my family, as well as my favorite animal rescue. I've never done anything like Etsy before, but I am slowly putting my site together and trying to make a go of it. My shop is still pretty rough, but it's getting there. I am slowly adding descriptions and items.

Other than the things I've mentioned, my OVERALL goal this year is to be frugal. Babies are crazy expensive, so to keep some of the OTHER things I love in my life- like my five rescued animals- I need to cut back and find ways for me and my family to save money. Not eating meat and cooking for myself is DEFINITELY helping, but I know there are more things I can do to help save. The Mindful Merchant is one of my inspirations- she seems to be genetically thrifty and provides great inspiration and tips. I'm not naturally frugal, but I'm making a go of it and so far I think I've been doing a great job. Coupon clipping and all!

So, this year, as always thanks for reading and may 2010 be the best year yet for all of us!

Update on Goings on Here at the Eco-ing Myself House

Cooking is still going well (the above is a tofu stir fry I made with brown rice. YUM. And pretty too!), and as for the 'eco-ing myself' part of this blog, I am doing well with that also! I really find myself thinking before I do a lot of the things I used to and making changes based on what would be greener. For instance, I used to print out tons of things at work. Mostly because I read better off paper than off a computer screen, so I liked to print things out to work on and then follow up with the document on the computer. Lately though, I have been thinking about all the poor dead trees before I push print. "Do I really need to print this?" runs through my head before I do and most of the time, the answer is no, so I don't. Sometimes it takes a little more effort, especially when I'm switching between multiple spreadsheets, but I'm working on getting better at it and it's working!

I also think twice before throwing things away- I have found all sorts of uses for old jars and bottles that I never would have thought of before. All it takes is a little creativity.

So things there are going well! A special thanks to all my friends who frequently Tweet and post blogs about little ways to be greener- they really help keep me on the straight and narrow earth wise. I guess I have developed an eco-conscious, and am hoping to find even more ways to improve. You know, when you start with little things...going greener really doesn't take that much more energy and time, all it takes is a new mindset.

To close, below is a picture of the card I made for my dad's birthday with fabric scraps I had left over from sewing projects. It would have looked much better had I not used super glue- it was all we had in the house and unfortunately...it came through the fabric and left little crusty looking spots after it dried. But hey...it was still a cool card and my dad liked it, which is all that matters anyway. I paired it with some cocoa chip muffins that I made by leaving the coffee out of the mocha chip muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance. My dad isn't a mocha fan, but the muffins were a hit by leaving it out! :)

Where I've Been and The Slightly Altered Focus of this Blog

Where have I been lately? Good question! I've been...MAKING STUFF! It all started with finding out that cheese is not my body's favorite. See, since I didn't eat much meat before, and now eat even less now that I'm trying to be vegetarian, cheese was my primary source of protein...along with a frequent veggie burger. So with cheese out, most of my diet disappeared.

So I got to thinking, if I want to, you know, get some nutrients once in awhile, I'd better start cooking. So I went online and got the awesomest cookbook EVER: Vegan with a Vengeance. I've made cookies, and muffins, and tofu, and stir fry, and stuffed shells (sans cheese = AWESOME!), and tacos, and...more cookies and muffins.

This is amazing to me, mostly because I am not someone who ever had a desire to cook- I found it an annoying necessity and relied mainly on frozen microwavable entrees and take out. Needless to say...that's not that good for you (at least as much as I was doing it) and it’s also expensive...and being that I am also now on a pretty strict budget...this is good for both my health and my wallet. It’s also better for the environment with less packaging, less animal products, and less chemicals used to produce the food I'm eating. The biggest discovery during all this though, is that I'm enjoying it! I LIKE cooking… make things that are actually EDIBLE...and all while having...FUN?!! Who knew!?

Well...THAT’S NOT ALL! As I was cooking and realizing- “Hey...I can do this!”- I was also trying to do more reusing and 'repurposing' of household items to, again, help my budget and the environment all at the same time. One of the things I wanted to do was to repurpose some of my extra sheets and comforters I have laying around to make a DIY dog bed for my poor geriatric Pomeranian and THAT idea led to the purchase of a sewing machine from Overstock.com... which led to wanting to make my own placemats (I never could find any I liked)...which led to my mom getting me the Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp...which led to...a crafty DIY addiction! (And yes…I’m a little late to the DIY game…)

This "I can make stuff" mindset led me to look around at all the paintings I have sitting around my house (I’ve taken a watercolor class every Wednesday for the past three years)…which led me to think...I could sell prints of these...which led me to think "and note cards! I can make note cards!" which led me to think...I can make prints, note cards, AND stuff I can sew...which led me to think...I should open up a shop on Etsy!

So. That's what the last few weeks have been for me: Lots of new ideas and a sort of refocusing of my life, which was LONG overdue.

So as a result, this blog might be changing focus a little and I'm going to focus more on posting the various projects I undertake using my goals to be greener by reusing things I already have (sometimes with the help of an awesome sewing machine), cooking my own vegan food (I'm not totally vegan when I'm out, but I don't make anything for myself that isn't), and attempting to raise some money for my family (and a favorite charity) by selling some things on Etsy! Still Eco-ing Myself...still going vegetarian...but with a new and improved focus!

Stay tuned...and if anyone is still reading this...thanks for sticking around. :)

Disposal of the Daily Dirt

I was over at The Greenists today (which is a really cool site- thanks to The Daily Tannenbaum for the link) and I happened upon an interesting post that looks at the environmental impact of plastic grocery bags. This is an important issue and one for which I would like some insight. I posted something similar in the comment section over there, but thought that I might post it here as well in an attempt to get some suggestions.

I live in the city and have two dogs. Two dogs that poop. Being a good resident and neighbor, I pick up that poop. Normally for that purpose, I use the plastic bags that I get from the store-or that my parents get (they give me their extra for that purpose)- so I’m re-USING, but not really re-CYCLING since in the end the bags still end up in the trash. The greenest option for shopping is of course the re-USABLE bag- I have one and use it when I remember to bring it (Note to self: get better at remembering this!)- but reusable bags don’t help me pick up and dispose of the dog poo I'm faced with on a daily basis.

I would really appreciate any suggestions on the greenest way to clean up after your pet. Just to give you an idea of what I have to work with, I live in a small row house with a tiny backyard, so space is at a minimum. I’ve seen biodegradable poo bags, but are they truly ‘green’?

Please leave suggestions in the comments if you have any ideas for me. I would really appreciate any insight and would like to make whatever earth-friendly change I can while dealing with a daily chore.

Faux Ham is Good Ham and Taco Tuesday Goes Vegan

Well...Operation Recycle is still in the Find a Bin stage. Yes...I know. How hard is finding a receptacle to throw your recycling in?! Not hard. But unfortunately...this is Wants to Be Green meets Huge Slacker with More than a Pinch of Procrastination. Basically...I suck. I just haven't gotten down to my basement to find something to put the stuff in so that we're not All-Trashcan-All-the-Time. I'll get there- I promise...

So why don't we talk about something else. Lets talk about...SMARTDELI!




I love it. I have been trying to be budget conscious and take my lunch to work with me...an idea that usually dies within two days because I get so bored with what I pack, but not so this time! It's been almost three weeks (a record, believe me) and I attribute that to the fact that I love the sandwiches that I make with Smartdeli faux ham slices. Just Smartdeli (I don't even need a full serving which is four slices. Two are plenty, which helps the package last longer) a slice of cheese or two, mustard, and a dab of mayo. So...not so vegan, but vegetarian for sure. I'm sure you're thinking from that description...boy she's a simple soul and...you're right. It's not even fancy mustard. It's YELLOW. What can I say, I have cheap taste, but if it helps me keep my spending down by bringing my lunch (in my reusable lunch bag of course!) and helps me keep lunch vegetarian...than whee! I shall rock on with my simple cheap tastes.

Speaking of vegan however...today's project is VEGAN lunch. I bring my lunch every day but Tuesday- which is Taco Tuesday for me and a friend. We go to Chipotle and usually I'm not even quite vegetarian because I get the pinto beans...which have bacon in them. So I have been trying to get the black beans instead...but it's been a slow change because the pinto beans are slightly yummier. Probably BECAUSE of the bacon. DOH. Today's challenge though is to go VEGAN with it...just to see if I can find a combination of ingredients that will still get me as revved up for Taco Tuesdays as my former combination, but without the cheese and sour cream (which...I'm not going to lie...are kind of my favorite part).

Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes!

Operation Recycle Continues

Well, I got to the store to get a receptacle for recycling and realized...that I didn't want to buy a receptacle for recycling. I was much more intrigued by the soy candles that were WAY cheaper than those of the Yankee variety. I also realized that I needed a new shower curtain liner because (TMI alert) mine is turning orange, and new shower curtain liner plus soy candle (even on sale) equals no more budget for recycling bin.

But THEN, I realized...why am I BUYING a receptacle for recycling (even if it's the cheap kind) when I could just as easily dig something out of my basement that would work just as well. Yeah I know....DUH.

This brilliant idea might have come about because I spent my recycling budget on a candle to make my house smell like candy corn (I didn't know they made such a thing either!), but that's ok, it's my usual habit to think of the most logical solutions last.

I also found a bug spray that's supposed to be ok for babies, and as far as I could tell from the ingredient list, wasn't full of chemicals. I can't remember what it's called, and I'm too lazy to get off my couch to go look, but I'll be sure to post whether of not it works at a later date.

Random fact about me unrelated to the purpose of this blog but related to what I'm doing right now: I will suffer through the first 3/4 of Walk the Line just so I don't miss the scene where he sings at Folsom Prison.

Operation Recycle

Ok, today begins operation recycle, which entails the monstrous and muy difficult task of...finding a receptacle. My neighborhood has recycling pick up, we don't even have to sort it anymore, so all it takes is one bin. Seriously? Is that all that's been keeping me from doing the number one easiest thing to help the environment?!

FAIL.

But...ah well. I'm doing it now right?

The other project on my list for today is to find a bug repellent for a three month old that doesn't make me feel that slathering him in it will cause him to grow a third arm. It's been really wet this summer and the mosquitoes are killer, and to make it worse, my front porch seems to be where they all congregate to loiter around like juvenile delinquents. So he really needs something, but I have no idea what would be ok for him and which isn't made from 100% scary chemicals. If anyone happens to be reading this (...anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) please let me know if you are aware of an effective natural mosquito repellent for a wee babe.