6 Eco-Friendly Changes for Your Household

 

Looking to live a more environmentally friendly life? Here are six easy ways to incorporate green living into your household.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. If you’re looking to save time, energy and money, get serious about waste reduction. Not sure where to start? Commit to focusing on the four primary recyclables: aluminum, plastics, paper and glass.

Switch Out Light Bulbs. It’s a well-known fact that CFLs and LEDs use much less energy and last a lot longer than regular incandescent bulbs. While the initial cost may be a bit steeper, you’ll be saving money in the long run.

Conserve Water. Paying attention to the way in which water is used within your home is a good way to green up your routine. Whether it’s turning off the water when brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, only running the washer/dishwasher when full, repairing leaky faucets or installing water-saving toilets/shower heads, there are numerous ways to limit your water use—without affecting your routine.

Go Green When You Clean. A quick search on the internet will open the door to a vast array of all-natural, environmentally safe cleaning products. If you’re feeling remotely adventurous, you can make your own cleaners with ingredients you most likely already have in the pantry.

Unplug Devices When Not in Use. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of your residential electricity is sapped by devices that are plugged in all day, every day. A little effort goes a long way when it comes to unplugging devices such as computers, stereos, coffeemakers, lamps, toasters, etc.

Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances. From washers and dryers to refrigerators and freezers, there’s no shortage of energy-efficient products to choose from. By scoping out the ENERGY STAR label, you’ll help protect the environment (and save money at the same time!). And better yet, when it comes time to sell your home, energy-efficient appliances will surely work in your favor.

7 Tips for Using Your Food Processor

 

Food processors are one of the most helpful of kitchen appliances. Whether you need to slice, dice, chop, shred or purée a host of ingredients for a meal, large or small, the handy machine can get the job done quickly with the press of a button. Depending on which model you have, a food processor also typically takes up little space on your kitchen counter or in your cabinets.

To help you get the most out of your food processor, Consumer Reports offers these seven tips for using the kitchen appliance:

Always insert the blade before adding food. Set the blade in the work bowl, and make sure the bowl is fitted on the motor base before putting in ingredients. If the blade isn’t sitting correctly, the appliance could break.

Use the pulse button. This function gets you an even chop without the risk of overprocessing. Otherwise, onions and other foods with a high water content can quickly turn into a purée. Use this for chopping nuts or making salsas.

Let hot liquids cool down. For your safety, bring hot ingredients to room temperature before processing.

Purée soup ingredients without stock. Strain out the cooked vegetables from the stock pot, and purée them in the food processor. They’ll blend smoother without liquid. Then whisk the purée back into the strained liquid.

Partially freeze meats and cheeses. Before processing, get the ingredients really cold, but not frozen solid, for the best ground meat and shredded cheese.

Be patient when making nut butters. The longer you process, the softer and silkier the butter will be.

Avoid “mashed” potatoes. Here’s an instance where the food processor won’t come in handy. Cooked potatoes develop a gluey texture when processed with the metal blade. You’d be better off using a stand mixer to make this dish.

10 Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids

 

If you were like most kids, you probably dreaded eating fruits and vegetables during your childhood. But now that you’re a parent who understands the importance of healthy food for a child’s well-being, you might find yourself struggling to talk your young kids into doing exactly what you once refused to do.

Pretty ironic, right?

To help you overcome this common challenge, ChooseMyPlate.gov suggests encouraging your children to eat fruits and veggies by trying to make it fun. Depending on their age and abilities, your kids may even be able to prepare their own healthy creations, making it all the more enjoyable for them.

ChooseMyPlate.gov offers these 10 kid-friendly ideas for fruits and vegetables:

Delicious Dippers. Kids love to dip their foods. Whip up a quick dip for veggies with yogurt and seasonings such as herbs or garlic. Serve with raw vegetables like broccoli, carrots or cauliflower. Fruit chunks go great with a yogurt and cinnamon or vanilla dip.

Smoothie Creations. Blend fat-free or low-fat yogurt or milk with fruit pieces and crushed ice. Use fresh, frozen, canned and even overripe fruits. Try bananas, berries, peaches and/or pineapple. If you freeze the fruit first, you can even skip the ice!

Caterpillar Kabobs. Assemble chunks of melon, apple, orange and pear on skewers for a fruity kabob. For a raw veggie version, use vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, squash, sweet peppers or tomatoes.

Personalized Pizzas. Set up a pizza-making station in the kitchen. Use whole-wheat English muffins, bagels or pita bread as the crust. Get tomato sauce and low-fat cheese, and cut up vegetables or fruits for toppings. Let kids choose their own favorites. Then pop the pizzas into the oven to warm.

Fruity Peanut Butterfly. Start with carrot sticks or celery for the body. Attach wings made of thinly sliced apples with peanut butter, and decorate with halved grapes or dried fruit.

Frosty Fruits. Frozen treats are bound to be popular in the warm months. Just put fresh fruits such as melon chunks in the freezer (rinse first). Make “popsicles” by inserting sticks into peeled bananas and freezing.

Bugs on a Log. Use celery, cucumber or carrot sticks as the log, and add peanut butter. Top with dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or cherries, depending on which type of “bugs” your children want.

Homemade Trail Mix. Skip the pre-made trail mix and make your own. Use your favorite nuts and dried fruits, such as unsalted peanuts, cashews, walnuts or sunflower seeds mixed with dried apples, pineapple, cherries, apricots or raisins. Add whole-grain cereals to the mix, too.

Potato Person. Decorate half a baked potato. Use sliced cherry tomatoes, peas and low-fat cheese on the potato to make a funny face.

Put Kids in Charge. Ask your children to name new veggie or fruit creations. Let them arrange raw veggies or fruits into a fun shape or design.