Small Steps Towards Change - Part II

Making small steps towards a less impacting lifestyle! - Part II

(This post is in honor of our 1 year anniversary as Coloradans! YAY!)

The second step in our process of changes has been in the area of creation care. Matt and I believe that God intended the for mankind to take care of the world as best we can. While we are not activist or environmental enthusiasts, we do want to incorporate good stewardship into our lifestyle. We also had some inspiration from watching some documentaries on Netflix: Bag It, Blue Gold & The No Impact Man. 

After seeing those films, we talked about what would be workable for us. We decided on just a few steps towards change that we could manage initially. 

Step #1 - Use Re-usable Cloth Bags

We bought 5 bags from our Sunflower Farmers Market for only 99 cents each. After shopping for a few weeks, we realized that 5 was enough for all the grocery shopping we do. We also found out that some stores, like Sunflower Farmers Market actually give you 10 cents off your total per bag that you use!! It's called BAG REDEMPTION! So not only are we reducing the use of plastic bags, but we are also saving money after only 10 uses! That's the kind of creation care I can get on board with!!! We also have stopped using produce bags too....it is just sooo much plastic and you really don't need them. Just wash your produce before eating and store with re-usable containers at home. I have found that our produce stays fresh longer anyways because most are not ideally stored in plastic! 

Step #1.5 - Recycle Plastic Bags and Ask for Paper

Once we switched to cloth bags, we found out that King Soopers lets you recycle plastic bags to make plastic bags again. While I would rather cut out plastic bags all together, this is a great way to get rid of any lingering bags from prior use. Now we have started only using cloth bags. However, 10% of the time, there are still situations where we forget the bags at home and run to store to pick up a few items. In those cases I try to ask for a paper bag or if I can, I just carry out the items. Some people look at me funny, but I keep the receipt handy just in case! 

Step # 2 - Stop Buying Bottled Water

This was not sometime we did every week, but just occasionally. However, after learning where the bottled water comes from and the facade of "fresh, pure" water, we won't waste our money. Why pay for water that was taken from a small community halfway across the nation, to a wealthy company that doesn't even stop pumping water when there is a national drought, when I can just drink the water from my own faucet, which I pay for already? Crazy how advertising can make it seem like a good idea, huh? 

Step # 2.5 - Use Re-usable Bottles

Now when we go for a hike or day outside, we fill up our nalgene bottles and are good to go. They carry more water than a plastic water bottle and you can decorate them with fun stickers. What's not to love? You also can be sure that they are safer without all the harmful chemicals in plastic bottles...which get even more dangerous when left in a hot car like most of us do! But not a nalgene bottle...they are free of those harmful chemicals and safe even after baking in the sun!

Watching our "One-time-use" plastic items was not a big priority before. However, we have come to realize that it really does matter. Just this past summer, we took a trip up Guanella pass for a picnic while my mom was in town. On our way down the pass, we noticed the breaks were not working as well and checked them out as soon as we got to the bottom. Once Matt looked under the car, he smelled something burning and found a plastic bag stuck up in our break-system!!! I couldn't believe it...a plastic Home Depot bag...how did that get all the way out there??? The more and more we venture out into the beautiful secluded mountain areas, the more I realize that trash seems to be EVERYWHERE...even places that seem "remote." It really saddens me, because Colorado is so beautiful. 

 (Picture near Guanella Pass)

So for now on, we are incorporating these small changes into our lifestyle. Maybe someday they will turn into bigger changes, but we are taking them one step at a time. You don't have to recycle everything in order to make some of a difference! Try something new with your family and see what works! 

Small Steps Towards Change

Making small steps towards a healthier lifestyle! - Part I

While Matt and I have been making our life together in Colorado, we have started some "experiments" with the way we live. Since we do not have cable, we watch a lot of netflix. After watching many, many different food documentaries, we decided to try out some changes in our diet. We are pretty healthy and in-shape people, but we still want to make good decisions about what we eat and our health.

Some of our favorite documentaries were "Food Inc.", "Forks Over Knives", and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead."

Initially, we felt pretty overwhelmed by all the changes that would have to be made in order to eat like these documentaries suggested. So we had to find what was workable for us with a small budget.

By incorporating small steps, a little at a time, we've found what works for us!

Step #1 - Eat less meat and better quality meat (no hormones). 

We eat less meat by planning 3 meatless meals each week. To eat better quality meat, we had to shop around. We found that the organic meat at our King Soopers (Kroger Branch) was way too expensive. So now we buy our meat at the local Sunflower Farmers Market. Since we are eating meat less often, we can afford to buy grass-fed beef and all natural chicken.(You may have to look around for the best deal, but the quality and taste is worth it!!)

Step #1.5 - Special meat night

Since my sweet husband has been so supportive in all these changes (even less meat!), I wanted to do something nice for him. He loves to grill and is a master with his meat thermometer! So each week, we buy some kind of "special" meat for one dinner (one of the four with meat). We eat steak, pork chops, chicken kabobs, shrimp...anything that sounds good! Making changes can be hard, especially for our grilling men, so reward them! :)

Step #2 - Eat more fruits and veggies 

We ate enough fruits and veggies, but were never very creative with them before. Now we are getting super creative! Each week I try to buy one type of fruit or vegetable that we have never had. Then I look up how to cook it and experiment with it! So far some have been successful, and some not so much...but it has been an adventure and we are learning! Find out what veggies can be substitutes for protein and balance what your body needs. 

Step #2.5 - Eat less processed foods

This is part of step two because as we have tried new veggies, we eat less packaged food. We try to avoid foods with high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients. Sometimes that is not always workable with our budget so we give ourselves some grace.

Step #3 - Buy more local produce 

This decision came at a perfect time since Colorado's farmers markets had just opened on weekends!  We also look for the local farmer signs in the produce section of King Soopers and the Sunflower Market. (Then learn how to properly store all your tasty produce for optimum flavor!)

Step #3.5 - Plant a garden - even a super small one on a balcony! 

We tried growing our own herbs, lettuce, and tomatoes. We were able to enjoy our delicious herbs and some lettuce initially. Unfortunately, our garden got hammered by a hail storm and has never quit recovered. However, we have learned from our experiences and are looking forward to having a better garden next year!!

There are more changes coming in the future, but we are taking our time to work out these first. We have enjoyed learning together and being adventurous...as always! Hope you will try your own family "experiments" and find a workable way to live better and healthier! 

Coming soon: Part II - Small Steps to a less impacting lifestyle! 

Finding Your Green Thumb! Part 2

Here is the second part of my gardening series! 

So after picking out my tomato plant, I decided it would be fun to grow my own herbs and lettuce as well. First, I decided on three herbs that we use frequently throughout the week - Rosemary, Basil, and Parsley. Then we picked out two different kinds of lettuce. 

We decided to grow our herbs and lettuce together because they grow well together and need the same amount of sunlight.
However, when you plant your herbs and lettuce, you have to TRANSPLANT THEM DIFFERENTLY! 

Tip #1 - When transplanting your lettuce, you first need to harvest the greens it already has. To do this, cut the lettuce 1 1/2 inches from the new soil line.

We did this with both kinds of our lettuce and they have grown back even more than before!

Tip #2 - When transplanting herbs, no harvesting is needed! Just position you herbs in the pot and fill it in with soil.

We have harvested our herbs for cooking about once a week and they have grown back very well! 

Finally, Tip #3 - When positioning plants in your yard, on your porch, or balcony, you need to know how much sunlight there is in each spot. 

When we set up our balcony, I kept an eye on how much sun our plants were getting. I noticed that the tomato plant was only getting partial sunlight and needed more full sunlight. Now I have propped the tomato plant up higher and it receives full sun! Our lettuce and herbs have been growing so well that I think their sunlight is the perfect amount. 

I hope you have enjoyed a view of our first balcony garden and will try out your green thumb and plant a garden yourself!

Finding your green thumb!

For this post, I am going to do a two part series, sharing some tips I learned as we started our first Colorado garden! I will be including tips on deciding what to plant, transplanting and things to consider when starting out.

This Past week, my mother-in-law, Julie came up from Texas to visit us! Since she came on Mother's Day, we decided to explore our local nursery for some plants to start our own BALCONY GARDEN. This was the perfect timing because Julie knows more about gardening and I have been wanting to learn! Also, all Coloradans know to wait until after Mother's Day to plant because of our unpredictable Spring weather!

Tip #1 - If you are trying to start a new garden, first find out when is the best time to plant. Here in Colorado, it can snow as late as Mother's Day! For that reason, it is safest to wait until then so your plants don't freeze.  

We decided that we wanted to grow some tomatoes...which turned into a bigger decision than we thought! There were so many different kinds of tomatoes to pick from! I kept just saying, "which one are the normal ones?" Finally we decided on cherry tomatoes, since we are growing them on our balcony. Those tend to do well in small spaces because they come as a dwarf plant or a compact plant and do not grow as big as others. 

Tip #2 - Pick the plant that will best fit the space you have. Ask questions if you aren't sure how big each plant will be. 

After we picked cherry tomatoes, we still had even more options of the kind of cherry tomato that we wanted. We ended up getting the Juliet kind, which will grow to look like these -

Cute huh?

Tip #3 - When transplanting a tomato plant, it is best to plant it deeper than its original soil line. When you go to put it in the pot, pick off the bottom stems up about 3 - 4 inches from the original soil. Then cover those 3 - 4 inches with the new soil. This will encourage new roots to grow and provide more stability for your plant.  

Tip #4 - Unplug your pot (if plastic) and add a water tray. By doing this, you will prevent ROOT ROT from over watering on accident. 

The metal wire thing is the cage for the plant to grow in. This provides continued stability as it will grow top heavy with fruit (hopefully!). 

Tip #5 - If you are PLANTING TOMATOES, you will want to make sure you know how big your type of plant will grow in order to pick the right size cage. If you are unsure, just do what we did and ask someone who looks like they work there! :) 

No matter where you live (Texas vs. Colorado, House vs. Apartment) you can't go wrong with growing your own fresh tomatoes! Check back for my next post with tips on gardening herbs and lettuce!