DIY Done in 10: Basic Compost Bin

As we've embarked on this whole eat more fruits and veggies thing, we've been generating a LOT of green waste-- peels, tops, stems, cores, wilted leaves and the like. Our city waste management company is reasonably modern and provides a free waste can for yard & green scraps. The company then composts this and either uses it on city property or sells it.

It seems to me that it's kind of silly to keep dumping things into the green bin and then turn around and head to the fix-it store to get a big bag of compost or mulch. So, I'm cutting them off! Its my scraps and I'm gonna keep them! So there.

For this project, I was inspired by this post on pinterest.  I also found this list on compostable items very helpful as well!

Materials:

• 1 very large rubbermaid (or like) tote with tight fitting lid (I used a 30 gal.)
• 1 drill w/ a 1/2 inch bit
• shredded newspaper or dry leaves
• soil (1-2 cubic feet-- I started with 1.5 but may add more as needed to mix w/scraps)
• scrap bucket for the kitchen (with tight fitting lid if you aren't gonna dump daily)

Instructions:

1. Drill 15 or so holes in the top AND bottom of your tote:

2. Fill bottom of tote with a good few inches of dry leaves or shredded newspaper

3. Add a layer of soil (to approx 1/3 to 1/2 of total depth)

4. Moisten w/garden hose

5. Add compostables, stir, place cover and wait!!

6. Repeat step 4 & 5 as needed to keep soil moist (but not wet or swampy!!)

7. Keep compost bin in shady corner of yard.

 

Project Analysis:(Out of 4)

Cost: $$$$     Satisfaction: :):):)    Quality: ***       Green Factor: ^^^^

Total cost of materials (tote, soil, scrap bucket for kitchen) was about $15 a similar volume premade one had $99 as its lowest price. So big savings!! An easy 10 minute project that saves over $80 is always a winner, plus I get to reap the "rewards" of our increased green waste. And, I'll get the satisfaction of knowing exactly what went into the compost that will (eventually) be used on our edibles in the garden.

Have you ever made your own compost bin this way? Comment below and let me know how your project turned out!

Veggie Variety: Grilled Artichokes

As a Mom, a lot of what I do is food based-- buying food, preparing food, serving food, etc. When you add in an effort to try to get the family to eat more whole foods-- fruits, veggies and whole grains, you also have to add in a LOT of recipe research as well! 

I've been following several blogs, skimming pinterest and checking in with my facebook recipe group to get new ideas for familiar healthy foods or how to instructions for preparing foods that are completely new to me. I thought I'd return the favor with this family summer favorite-- grilled artichokes.  This is a great, kid friendly appetizer or side dish. Kids love it because they get to 1) disassemble something, 2) eat with their hands & 3) use dip!

• Completely unnecessary side story: at the Little Miss pageant my Mom misguidedly entered me into when I was about 7 (long, long before things went nutty like on toddlers & tiaras), we were asked what our favorite food was -- all the other girls said normal things like pizza, spaghetti, burgers, etc. Not me, I said artichokes! Needless to say, I did NOT win.

Choosing An Artichoke:

• find one that has a good weight, unwilted leaves, and less purple streaks near the base: artichokes get more and more purple as they get close to blooming and that means less edible parts. Expect to pay $1-3 apiece. (Yikes, I know!! But its better than spending $8 at a restaurant!)

Prepping Your Artichoke:

• cut off stem close to the base. You can discard (or pare off tough exterior and cook with the rest)
• if its particularly prickly, you can also cut off the top 1-2 inches of the pointy end (although I rarely bother and its usually not a problem)
• cut in half lengthwise
• use a large metal spoon to scoop out  and discard the thistly part (the choke of artichokes) and any purple leaves. This is NOT edible. Don't worry if you don't get it all, you can tidy up after cooking.

Pre-cooking Your Artichoke:

• Drop your artichoke halves into a large pot of boiling water. Cover & keep at a low/medium boil for about 20 minutes. Artichokes are ready when a knife will slide into the base near the stem with a slight resistance (you don't want them too soft or they will disintegrate on the grill)

Prepare your Marinade:

• For 2 artichokes (4 halves), mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tsp crushed garlic (about 2 cloves), dash of salt & pepper.
• Whisk together and spoon over cut (open) side of artichokes, so that the oil flows into the nooks and crevices between the leaves.

Heat up your Grill:

• Place artichoke halves, cut side DOWN, on preheated grill over a medium/high heat. Grill until edges have a nice slight char--about 5-10 minutes.

Serving your Artichoke:

• You will want a dipping sauce. The simplest is a small bowl of melted butter. You can also whip up the mock aioli sauce below: (I know its not a real aioli but mayonnaise will give you the same basic idea)
• Tangy Balsamic Aioli:
•  1/2 cup mayonnaise (do NOT sub miracle whip)
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs champagne vinegar (sub red wine or apple cider if you don't have this and add a PINCH of sugar)
• 1 tsp crushed garlic (1 clove)
• Mix together until well combined, makes 4 servings!

Eating your Artichoke:

• Remove outer leaves first, dip previously attached end of leaf, scrape "meat" off of leaf with your teeth (this is the fun part for kids), toss leaves into scrap bowl. Repeat & enjoy!
• When you get to the base of the artichoke there will be a core left, this is the heart of the artichoke and the very best part. Inspect to make sure all of the thistly choke has been removed, cut into pieces, dip and eat!

DIY Food: Pretzel Bites

On our new healthy eating kick, we've been trying to cut out as much processed and junk food as possible. But, sometimes you just have a craving for something-- something starchy, buttery and with really no nutritional value at all. To keep on track (at least sort of) I've decided to allow myself a few treats now and then, as long as I make them MYSELF. This way I'll have to decide if the effort is worth the result and I'll at least be cutting out the obvious bad stuff like hfcs, preservatives, and artificial additives.

This week I've been dying for a pretzel. I LOVE the mall pretzels. I think its probably criminal (or really good marketing) but there is a pretzel shop right outside the one maternity clothing store in the mall. I became addicted to these things during my first pregnancy (when I could only keep down starches) and happily carried on during the second. Now I haven't an excuse like pregnancy but I still crave those darn things.

I saw this post on pinterest a few weeks ago and decided the recipe was simple enough for a yeast beginner to try. It only requires basic pantry ingredients and the 3 solid food eaters in the house give it 2 thumbs up!

Recipe (as adapted from above post): yield approx 50 1x1 bites

1 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 a packet)
3/4 cup warm (not hot!) water
1 tsp honey
2 cups + 1 tbs all purpose flour
3 tbs melted butter
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup baking soda
5 cups water

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2.Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Wait 5 minutes until yeast is active and foamy.
3. Stir in melted butter & salt. Mix in flour. When all ingredients are roughly combined, turn out on counter and knead for 5 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and forms a ball.
4. Place dough back into (cleaned and) oiled mixing bowl. Cover w/towel & allow to rise until doubled (approx 1-2 hours)
5. Turn out dough and divide into 4 even portions. Roll each section by hand into a long snake approximately 1" in diameter (just like with PlayDoh). Cut into 1" lengths with knife or kitchen shears. Repeat with remaining dough sections.
6. Combine baking soda and water in a medium sauce pan and heat until gently boiling. Drop about 10 pretzel bites into water bath. Scoop out with strainer or slotted spoon after about 30 seconds. Place on paper towel to dry.
7. Spread bites out on parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes -- until golden brown. Check halfway through cooking and rotate tray.
8. Cool on wire rack. Brush additional melted butter over tops of pretzels and dust with Kosher or pretzel salt.  Enjoy!!

For beautiful food photos and a more detailed instruction, see original blog post! If you give this recipe a try, comment below and let me know how it worked out for you!