2009 Resolution

It is almost that time of year where everyone starts to make resolutions for the new year. I have already started on a few more this year and have some others I would like to try for the next.

One of my resolutions this year came from watching the Biggest Loser. I realized that even though I did recycle all of those plastic water bottles I was using, I still went through a lot of bottles. At the beginning of 2009, I went out and purchased a Brita pitcher and began to filter my tap water and was using a reusable bottle to take with me to work each day. Prior to doing this, I would go through at least three bottles of water while at work each day. I usually also carry a bottle with me everywhere I go, so I have purchased different reusable BPA-free bottles to fit in my lunchbox and different bags so that I will always have one with me.

To help others get started using reusable water bottles Brita also began a Filter for Good campaign where you are able to join the campaign and receive coupons towards purchases of Brita products. Sign up today to help reduce bottled water waste.

Finally!!!!

In an attempt to eat foods that were not grown with pesticides, that are natural and have real flavor I wanted to try to grow some of my own vegetables this year. I think I originally received my first tomato plant as a gift back in March. The information that came along with it said I would have tomatoes in 45 days. Here we are a "few" months later and I FINALLY have some tomatoes from my own backyard. :) I will admit that I started to think it just wasn't meant to be. The Texas heat seems to be a little bit much. I guess the cooler weather in October and November is just what my little plant needed and just enough time for the bugs to take a hike.

I still plan on figuring out composting soon so that I can have some rich soil to plant a real garden this next year. For the time being I am just pleased I finally have something that I can eat. :) I actually still have about five more tomatoes and a few bell peppers in the works as well. Hopefully, the weather will still stay decent long enough for them to become ripe.

Making the switch to Renewable Energy

I was excited to change my electric company recently to Green Mountain Energy. This electric company uses renewable energy which is an energy generated from natural sources like the sun, wind or rain. In this case, Green Mountain uses wind from local wind farms. This form of energy helps to offset our carbon footprint and produces no greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or methane. For my first month the carbon footprint reduced is equivalent to 130 miles NOT driven. Not too bad when all I did was make a phone call to switch. :)

Eating Organic

One of the main things that I keep reading about lately is eating organic. What qualifies a product as organic? I went to the National Organic Program's (NOP) website to see if there was anything to clarify what is considered organic. Depending on the product there are different guidelines that must be met for a product to be considered organic. For the details on how a product earns the label USDA Organic, click here.

This was one of the reasons why I started going to the farmer's markets to look for produce that was grown without the use of pesticides. There is definitely a difference in price (higher!) as well when you are trying to eat organic products. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when I finally joined Costco. I couldn't believe all the organic products that were available in bulk. Being able to buy more for the same price as what I was getting at the grocery store is great, but I still can't believe the variety of organic foods that were there.

I have noticed that while I am trying to eat more organic foods I have been eating less meat. I love a good veggie burger and found a great recipe on Everyday Food. I am going to try to find some different variations but the Veggie Burger with Tahini Mayonnaise was a great start.

Disney!!!

I had the opportunity to go to Disney World for a week and was excited to see recycling bins at every park! The bins are near every trash can and you are able to recycle all bottles and cans.

There was also a line of recycled paper products available from their "Choose to Reuse" campaign; all with the cute Mickey logo pictured above. A variety of t-shirts made from organic cotton were also available.

It is great to think about all the trash that Disney is having recycled instead of adding it to our landfills. Thank you!

Reusable bags

I like using my reusable bags when I go into the grocery store. If I remember, I will take them into every store I plan on making a purchase at. There are some stores that will give you a small discount for each reusable bag that you use. The most recent store that I know of is Super Target and they are now giving a $0.05 discount for each reusable bag that you use when you shop there. It may not sound like much but every penny adds up!

A little over a year ago I got some great cotton bags that I love from Macy's. They are perfect. They are the perfect size, have a long enough handle so that you can carry it over your shoulder and they also have a square bottom so they sit well in the back of my car. I use these bags at the store and then once I have unloaded my purchased items at home I put the bags back in my car for the next shopping trip.

For some people the issue is remembering to bring the bag into the store to use in the first place. That is why I thought these little bags I found were great. Eddie Bauer has a tote bag in a pouch that can be clipped on your keychain. It seems to fold up into a small pouch-like compartment like some raincoats. Once you unzip it the pouch is then on the outside of the bag where you could put your keys while shopping. It can easily be folded/rolled back up into the pouch too. I thought these were a great idea and could make a great stocking-stuffer for family members this year. :)

Farmer's Market Outing

People, people, people! I finally got to take a few trips to some local farmer's markets this weekend. I wanted to check everything out and see what all was offered by our local farmers and keep the business going in our community.

I started out on Friday night by going to the Bedford Farmer's Market. On Saturday morning, I made it to the Rufe Snow Farmer's Market, then Ridgmar and finally Cowtown Farmer's Market. The markets in Bedford and off of Rufe Snow both are a small market selling local produce, hormone-free meats, tamales, salsas, dressings, bread...it is like a small grocers. I like the idea of these two markets since they are closer to home than the other two that I went to; which makes it easier for quick trips during the week.

The other two I went to were Ridgmar and Cowtown. The Ridgmar market was similar to the first two I went to but larger. They had more of a variety of fruits and also carried fresh eggs. The strawberries I bought here smell soooo good! I just kept sticking my head in my bag after I purchased them so that I could keep smelling them. ;) Inside there is a wide variety of canned items (homemade preserves, pickles, etc.) and a variety of nuts and candies. There was also a small BBQ place inside if you needed a quick meal during your weekend shopping.

After Ridgmar, I went to the Cowtown Farmer's Market. This one was definitely my favorite and I only wish I had gotten there sooner. They are currently open every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 -12 (or when they sell out for some vendors). I arrived late so some of the vendors had already left. This was more like a row of tents set up by each farmer/vendor who is out there to personally sell their product to you. It is a great opportunity to talk to the people working so hard to make the foods/products. Some of the vendors even let you taste their products before you buy and I even had a great pork tamale!

I think one of the best foods you can eat fresh is a tomato. I planned on growing some this year but unfortunately things did not turn out as I had hoped (I only produced one that wasn't eaten by something else). So to be able to buy some fresh tomatoes at the farmer's market made my day. I needed to make a tomato and mozzarella salad for work on Monday and they had exactly what I needed.

I also bought some homemade strawberry preserves from Dolly's Jellies and it is fantastic! I had to taste it as soon as I got in the car and since then I have had a couple of biscuits, some crackers...I can't find enough foods to put jelly on! There was a variety of flavors so the next on my list to try is blackberry.

I can't wait to go back another weekend and I will try to get there when they open so that I can check out the grass-fed beef, fresh breads, homemade granola...*sigh*..so much great food! It is worth the drive to get food that tastes so much better, fresh and comes from a local business.

I made two tomato salads. I love grape tomatoes and Cowtown Farmer's Market was the only place that sold them. ;)