Healthy Green Tips

With all of the "e-coli" and "salmonella" outbreaks in the news lately, purchasing produce from anywhere can be scary. I never wanted to pay premium prices for the "fruit and veggie wash" you could purchase in the store, so I sort of have been scrubbing them with a little bit of dish detergent. Well, my sister-in-law has been doing a lot of research on "cleaning green" and has passed along a great fruit and veggie rinse to me. There are two: the first being a mixture of 2tbsp white vinegar to a pint of water. The other is a mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with water in equal ratios. You can store either mixture in spray bottles. All you need to do then is spray the fruits and veggies, rinse and eat! Be sure it is the 3% hydrogen peroxide... Interestingly enough, hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen and water! Doesn't get much purer than that!!! I am working on a lot of great "green cleaning" tips and recipes so check back for those! Tell me if you have any suggestions on this subject!!!

Saving tip

This is a little tip for those families, like mine, on a tight budget. Many area restaurants offer deals, for example, free child's meal with the purchase of an adult meal. Many times this is one day a week, maybe every Tues. or something likewise. If you call, they will tell you over the phone. This allows you to have many options to dine out during the week, saving some work in the kitchen and some money in the pocket book! My family of four can easily run us $40-$50 for a simple meal with no "bells and whistles"! This would definitely contribute to good quality family time too...enjoying a meal and not having to slave over the hot stove! I will be checking out some options and would be more than happy to post if you seem interested!!!

Fun tips

So, I came across a little tip..Maybe I live under a rock and everyone knows this, maybe not, but....if you purchase your coffee (unbrewed) from Starbucks, they will give you a free cup of coffee. I am all for this, as Starbucks is a bit of a splurge for me, so I can cross something off of my grocery list and have a treat at the same time!!!! I have not done it yet, so if anyone has or knows if this is true or not please comment!!! Thanks!