How Green are you?

The Busy Beaver Mom: Simple, green living in a busy beaver modern world.

The goal of this blog, is to document the steps I'm taking to achieve a simpler, greener household while maintaining a modern lifestyle.  This isn't as easy as it sounds.

One day I came across a fantastic description, how green are you?  Are you light green, medium green or dark forest green.

courtesy of clipart

You can vary the degree of green by what you do with your life to be more eco-friendly.  I also see it as a way to not feel guilty if you aren't almost Amish in your approach to life.  Deep down we all want the same thing.  Clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, and a clean place to call home. 

So I myself am light to medium green.

I've posted before on little steps you can do to make the day greener. And they aren't that hard. 

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." - Mother Teresa

So here in my corner of the world I'm doing what I can.

Tip of the day:  Be aware.  Be aware of what you are doing.  Don't just go through the motions. 

Today while I was brushing my teeth, I noticed my habit was to leave the water on for a few seconds while I brushed. Being aware I quickly turned it off.  So many bad habits are ignored. If we are more aware we can catch them and correct them.

You can only change if you aware things need to change. 

Getting Moving on a Monday!

Happy Monday All!

Yes, I know, typical Mondays are slow, tedious and hateful.

I didn't want to get up on time today either. (and I won't say I did )  ;)

Still, once I was up, I managed to get quite a bit done today.  Finally weeded my overgrown garden and added some seeds for hot weather plants.  Did some computer work and writing.  And to kick it up a notch, went on a 5 mile bike ride that kicked my butt.  I'm so out of shape.

We should use Monday Mornings to get the week off on a good foot.  Get your energy and heart levels up.  If you don't have time for a 5 mile bike ride, just do some jumping jacks.

Any movement is better than none!

Also get moving on your dreams!  I used part of my time today to start working on an expansion of my photography.  I plan on selling prints.

So if anyone is interested in purchasing prints of any photographs you see here, or on my website, please feel free to drop me a comment.

If not, then I hope the pictures at least bring some joy to your Monday.

                       

Foodie Friday! Krispy Fruity Cupcakes!

Ahhhh the joys of motherhood.  As we transition in age from diapers and falls to the school days and requests of "I want to celebrate my birthday at school tomorrow since its the last day of school and my birthday is in the summer."

EEEEEK!  Rush to the grocery store to get supplies for Rice Krispies treats with Fruity Pebbles!

- Rice Krispies      ( 4 cups)
- Fruity Pebbles    ( 2 cups)
- Butter                ( 3 Tablespoons)
- Marshmallow Fluff  ( 7 oz, or 1 small container)

Now I like to mix it up a bit with the original Rice Krispies Treats... I add some Fruity Pebbles!

First, mix together 4 cups Rice Krispies and 2 cups Fruity Pebbles (for a total of 6 cups)

- too many Fruity Pebbles can make things a bit sweet for me....

Next Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter!  Use the real thing please, its not like we're going for healthy treats here.

You want the butter totally melted so it can mix well with the marshmallow fluff.

Mix the 1 small container of marshmallow fluff (7 oz.) and stir well until they are mixed completely. 

I did this over low - medium heat.   You don't want to burn the fluff!

Pour the marshmallow goo into the krispies and pebbles and mix well until every little piece is coated (in deliciousness). 

Now here comes some fun parts:  For most treats you need to put into a large pan with maybe some wax paper in the bottom to prevent sticking and press the treats down so they stick.  

I decided to make it a little differently... I pulled out the muffin pans with cupcake liners in it. Multiple colors for fun!  Then I filled the cups and pressed firmly.  This is important to make the treats stick together.  You don't want limp treats!

Now the recipe above is the single recipe which made about 20 krispy treat cupcakes.  

I needed 24.  

So rather than make them smaller, I made another batch.  Oh darn, I'll need to eat them myself. :)

No messy knife needed to cut them apart, just hand them out!  

Needless to say, they were a huge hit at the last day of school party!!!!!! 

CSA Today! 6-5-14

Once again, my weekly delivery of veggies is here!

Doesn't it look scrumptious?!

From the farm:
Kohlrabi, spinach, cucumbers, strawberries, cilantro

From Wholesale: blueberries, pears, apples, cucumbers, green peppers, carrots

I've never used kohlrabi before, so this will be an adventure!

More kale! I'm going to be so healthy!  Salads, salads, salads.  What's even better, throw some goat cheese and berries on top and its extra good. :)

I'm so happy the spinach came in, I was out of spinach since my last delivery.  I prefer spinach mixed into my kale salad.

Hosta flower just for some decoration :)

Using up all these veggies in inventive ways is a challenge.  For instance, there's only so many ways I can envision using bell peppers.  And I had so many of them, they are quietly going bad in my refrigerator.  I couldn't even give them away fast enough.  One such recipe was some sweet potato, cherry tomatoes, chicken and quinoa I threw together into a casserole weeks ago.  I didn't write about it ( I don't think), because I didn't think it was that good. Just another food experiment.  Well today I pulled it out of the freezer for a super fast dinner... and wow, did it hit the spot!  I guess it just needed to sit.  So you never know how it will turn out, just give it a try and save the extras for later for a cheap and fast meal!  This is why I invested in a standing freezer.  I don't know where I'd put it all if it weren't' for that.

Where's your happy place?

I want you to think for a moment.  Where are you happy.  Truly happy?  No complications, just pure enjoyment, relaxation and peace of mind.

My short trip to the Smoky Mountains last weekend reminded me of how much I enjoy getting out into the wilderness.

what a view!

Around my hometown, there are parks and places to go hikes.... but even in the deepest part of that wood you can hear the cars and airplanes go by.

In the mountains, it was total tranquility and peace.  Just sitting on the side of a path, and enjoying the gentle sounds of the forest in a light rain.

That is my happy place.  I'm at total peace.

Now I understand not everyone loves the outdoors like I do.  I have a friend who we be terrified to be out in the woods like I was.  She even faked being sick as a child to get out of camping.

So, my challenge to you dear reader is: Think.

Dig deep inside, and find where are you at peace.  Total peace.  Where nothing else matters, and all troubles disappear even for just a moment?  Is it a church?  A museum?  Maybe your backyard garden.  Still enjoying nature, but of a more domestic sort.

First harvest from the garden!

I've posted in the past about my small little garden.  With food prices being as unbelievable as they are, every little thing you can do at home to make your own food really helps.

So today we harvested some of the garden!!!

Radishes and Strawberries!

Of course these were quickly devoured.

Asparagus lightly steamed -just slightly underdone so they retain some crunchiness.  Added a touch of butter.

Then placed the raw radishes on top.  

I'd say it was a success.  Although this boy also eats asparagus raw if given the chance.  

I just thought the spaghetti method of eating it was so cute!

The asparagus was from my CSA (community supported agriculture) delivery from Thursday!

Tomorrow will be kale and strawberry salads all day.  I have so much kale to go through!!!

Foodie Friday: Smores

Yeah, I know. Not a very tricky recipe, but since I"m heading out of town camping I thought it appropriate.

My scenery for the weekend

So typical smores are over a fire.  Toast the marshmallows to your liking then set the hot marshmallow (make sure to blow out the flames first) onto graham crackers with a piece of chocolate on there.

My favorite version of smores are in the microwave.  Did you know that marshmallows grow huge when you put them in the microwave?  its really fun to watch.

So set your graham cracker and chocolate on a microwave safe plate.  Place the marshmallow on top.  Leave it open faced like this for microwaving. Then zap it!  Usually 10-15 seconds is perfect to just barely melt the chocolate so its not too runny.

super fast, super yummy, instant sweet tooth gratification :)


-Oops, sorry all! I was supposed to post this Friday, but was on the road.  When I finally remembered, I had no service! (That's what I get for being in the middle of nowhere!)