Going Green in Your Kitchen

This is off the subject of losing weight, but wanted to send it to you.

Beside recycling, which I know you are doing, here are some ideas to help you go 'green' in your kitchen. I hope we get a lot of suggestions to this one.

Veggies cut in small 'chunks' cook faster than whole ones. And they cook quicker when covered. But never cover asparagus or green beans or other veggies you want to stay nice & green.

I use my toaster oven 100 times more than my regular oven. When I do use the 'big' one, I'll usually throw in a few cleaned potatoes to bake along with whatever I'm cooking, to eat later in the week.

When roasting a chicken, I always bake 2. There are just soooo many ways to use it later in the week.

When making soups, I always make a BIG pot and freeze leftover soup in single serving plastic containers, collected over the years from delies.

I very rarely use plastic wrap. Instead, I'll use an empty bread bag, vegetable bag (that you put fresh veggies in at the store to get them to the checkout, or other plastic bags, at least once if not more. Example: take the 1/2 onion (or lemon or tomato, bleu cheese, etc) and place cut side down in the end, twist tight, fold ends of bag back down over the item again, twist tight again. This keeps the air out and the smell in. I store the empty bags pushed into paper towel cores.

I only use paper towels for really yucky messes or cleaning up something dropped on the floor. Soapy Dishrags for counters and stove tops.

Take 'green bags', cloth bags and used shopping bags to the grocery store.

I use old plastic bags from stores (from when I had forgotten my 'green' bags...bad on me), doubled bagged hanging from hooks on a top drawer, for yucky or spoilable garbage which I empty nightly. This way my regualr non-stinky garbage can doesn't have to be emptied just because it stinks...I can wait until it is full

Cloth napkins!! Each member of the family has a special napkin ring to identify his/her napkin until laundry day. We use washcloths when not entertaining.

I cut open old brown paper grocery bags (again from when I forgot my 'green' bags) and use the 'in' sides of them when I need to drain fried foods or washed foods.

Only use dishwasher for FULL loads and let them air dry.

And I think we all know the best way to wash dishes to save water is the soapy water sink and clear water sink(or basin) when we have a lot to wash...NEVER washing under running water. But when you only have 3 or 4 items, scrub them with a soapy scrubby, then place in the sink. Then use the water you are using to rinse one item over the other items. So that when the second item is to be rinsed, it is hardly soapy at all, and so on down the line.

Any more suggestions?

I have just now let this address out to a group belonging to Betty Crocker. I hope I can help more people lose weight.

Love S