eG Recipe: Autumn Noodle Salad (vegan)

Autumn Noodle Salad

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
1-1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons of butter or vegan butter
1/2 Package of Noodles of your choice (I used fettucini)
handful of Spinach or Arugula for each plate
Walnuts
Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

Mix olive oil, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper with the squash
Roast squash 425 degrees for 30 mins or tender
Boil Noodles , drain them when they are just right. pour your dry noodles into the dish with the squash. Mix thoroughly. Prepare plates with a bed of greens, then serve out a serving of the mixture over the greens. Sprinkle the dried cranberries and walnuts. Serve warm.

© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

eGreen Scripture: God's Calls for Respect of Animals

If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. - Deuteronomy 22:4

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. - Proverbs 12:10

Our world seems to put animals so far below us that we abuse them to no end. Especially the ones that are killed for food. One thing we are called to do is care for animals - to be respectful. I think the "consumer" does get forgetful when they look at that plastic wrapped meat as they take it in their hands to purchase. That neatly packed meat contains an animal that lived in horrible conditions and treatment. What we do need to remember as consumers that if you are choosing the path to eat meat to buy organic meat. At least then we know that the animals are being feed and treated the way God called them to be. We are supporting that call out from God. I personally choose the path of vegetarian, but I know that is not an easy path for some, but my prayer is that the consumers that are consuming meat not only choose organic meats and support that industry, but also reduce the amount of meat they are consuming. This is not just a environmental issue, but a health issue. Have at least one day a week of no meat and reduce the amount you are serving your family. How do you feel about these issues?

There are starving kids all over the world - don't waste food ...

I am one who always had an aversion to leftovers, I will admit I have this fear of rotten food. I think it comes from growing up in the restaurant business and hearing all the health department requirements; which obviously are more severe then what the typical person does at home. Suffice it to say I am a little obsessive about food going bad, haha. Through this journey of taking better care of God's creation I started to really look at my leftover aversion and got over it. I also made an effort to try to make just enough food versus too large of portions. Like Mom used to say "there are starving kids all over the world don't waste food". But then I went a step or a few steps beyond just making sure to eat our leftovers and looked at what waste over buying was causing. I will tell you it wasn't pretty! I have always been a just in case buyer and a mood cooker "what if we feel like ...", well this not only makes my grocery bill higher, but causes a lot of potential food wasted.

One thing I realized also was, like most Americans, we love variety. It isn't a luxury for us, it is a requirement. But with that requirement we can waste a lot of food. I had some friends go to Africa and one thing they said that really struck me in my line of thinking on this whole issue was that "the people there eat a lot of the same thing all week", so it was challenging for them because we are spoiled with so much variety. That gave me a lot of insight as to how we needed to approach being last wasteful in regards to food. Here are a few things I am doing to make sure that what doesn't even make it to our meals doesn't end up in the compost or garbage either:

1. Planning meals appropriately - now this means more than just ok we will have this on Monday and this on Tuesday ... one thing I realized, like in other countries they have a few items to cook for the week (creative opportunity here too hehe), so I basically think ok for the week we will have e.g. rice, these veggies, this fruit, eggs. So I am selecting certain things I can make in a multitude of different types of meals while at the same token using up everything I buy.

2. More trips, less purchased - so either I walk or I drive when I am already out for some other reason ... this method I found makes it easier for doing the first step ... I plan to go to the store at least 2 times a week. One thing that happens in other countries is they go out every day buy only what they need and it is all fresh, well I am taking this to a 2 times a week event, this way I can plan for narrower plots of time and everything is so fresh. Believe it or not I am spending a lot less money.

This is the two major things I am doing to reduce the waste and I have to say it is working amazingly. What are way you are reducing your food waste outside of leftovers?

People Towels ... YES! Towels for the Green You!

Our home has been making the transition away from paper to towels and cloth napkins ... every dinner feels so classy! LOL! When I made this decision to transition that side of our lives to the green way, (Hold the Paper Napkins and Go Cloth article) the organization People Towels came to my attention. What a fun, cool way to protect the creation when you leave your home. One of the biggest challenges I have found "going green" is doing so outside of my home.

PeopleTowels is the latest in eco-chic fashion and an inspired sustainability product. A convenient alternative paper products in public facilties. Their personal hand towels are made of lightweight, 100% Organic, Fair Trade Cotton. PeopleTowels come in a variety of inspired designs, printed with eco-friendly dyes, to appeal to different tastes and styles. Check them out at www.peopletowels.com.

Here are some shocking stats of paper and postive stats to switching to cloth (c/o www.peopletowels.com):

The use of disposable paper towels is having a devastating impact on the environment. Some of the facts about paper towel consumption and its impact are:

• To make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water are polluted.
• Every day, over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced in the US alone.
• Decomposing paper towels produce methane gas, a leading cause of global warming.
• The average person uses 2,400 – 3,000 paper towels at work, in a given year.

Are you experiencing the cloth change in your green ways? How do you feel about it?

Organics Organics Organics Oh My!

Do you know why I love tuesdays? I get my delivery of organic fruits and vegetables by the company Absolute Organics, in Charlotte, NC. They are a local family run business that gives great service. A few days before delivery they email you what you are going to receive, then you have a chance to request not to receive a certain item. Absolute Organics is one way I have been saving money on our change to organic fruits and veggies. If you are in Charlotte or lucky enough to have a local service like this it is a great and less expensive way to feed your family organics foods. They also have organic free trade coffee (YUM!), organic granola and local honey. If you decide to try Absolute Organics, please let them know eG sent you! Have you ever tried a service like this? If you have a service like this is your area please post it in a comment to help others find them.

eGreen Method: Nix the Paper Napkins with Ease ...

You can buy the restaurant type cloth napkins in bulk (about 25 napkins for approx. $20). We have about 30 we rotate. We keep a small decorative basket in our kitchen that is only for the cloth napkins, that makes it easy to keep them clean. What methods have you used to ease the switch to cloth?

Plastic Bag Tote: Reusing Your Plastic Grocery Bags

Instructions for cutting the bags and making a ball of "yarn", click here

Materials Needed: numerous white, blue and yellow plastic grocery bags, M hook

Finished Size: 15 inches high x 16 inches wide not including the straps

Note: Do not use hook that you don't want to break or be stained. I have noticed that my hook has numerous stains of dye on it from the bags, also this is hard on the hook so you don't want to use your good Brittany hooks while crocheting with plastic bags :-)

Directions:
white bags

ch 28

• Round 1 - hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch, working around the backside of the ch hdc in each st, join with a sl st to 1st hdc (54 total)
• Round 2-5 - ch 1, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc at the end of round 5 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 6-7 ch 1, with yellow bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 7 pick up the dropped white bags
• Round 8-10 - ch 1, with white, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 10 change to blue bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 11- 13 - ch 1, with blue bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut blue bags, at end of round 13, pick up the dropped white bags
• Round 14-20 - ch 1, with white, dc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 20 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 21 - ch 1, with yellow, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 21 change to white bags
• Round 22- ch 1, with white hdc in next 7 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in the next 19 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in next 12, join with a sl st to 1st hdc
• Round 23 - ch 1, sc in next 6sts, work 28 sc around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 19 sts, work 28 scs around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 13 sps, join with a sl st in beg sc (94 total)
• Round 24 - ch 1, sc in each st around (94 total)

Courtesy of about.com

Vegan Purse Delight

Melie Bianco was definite eye candy when I discovered their purses through Twitter (@meliebianco). Their products are completely stylish, affordable and vegan; what more can a green girl ask for! Check out their product line at http://www.shopmelie.com. They have lots of variety of styles and colors; new arrivals for the season. I love when style and eco-friendly going hand in hand.

Lost 30 pounds since Going Green ...

It is amazing when you choose a life of taking better care of God's creation you end up getting wonderful benefits:

• Weight loss
• More time with your family
• Saving money

Since this journey started we went to vegetarian (I went vegan), walked instead of driving to close places (my daughter loves the walking), buying organic and non-processed foods, eating more raw vegetables and fruits. I have slowly dropped weight and without "dieting". For years I had heard you don't diet you change your lifestyle, well that wasn't as crazy as I thought it was. I was constantly looking for a quick fix. Turns out that turning towards God and changing our lifestyle for the effort of caring for His creation is giving me the result I have been looking for my whole life. Hrmm go figure! (giggles) I will keep you all posted on my progress, I have more to drop, but this lifestyle has sure put me on the track. YAY! What benefits have you seen as a result of going green?