Zero Waste Store: Brainchild

I know I’m not supposed to share my brainchild with the internet in case someone is out there and takes my ideas and makes them come true before I get a chance, but I like to share my dreams with my blog, so why not? The town I live in does NOT have a zero waste store, where you can get bulk and household products free from plastic. There is nowhere to get bulk laundry soaps, shampoos and lotions, and other organic natural products that don’t have a plastic wrapper that you just throw away immediately upon or after use. A place where you can use a jar with a pump lid to refill your dishsoaps, all purpose cleaners and natural lotions so you don’t have to toss a bottle in the trash every time you need them.

Image from in.gredients store in Austin, Texas.

I love the idea of not having a trash can in the kitchen, but a compost bucket and a recycle bin. Have you SEEN the video from Trash is for Tossers where she has but a JAR of trash after four years? It’s possible with a LOT of discipline!

Image Credit: Treading My Own Path

Having a zero waste store would be an amazing way to share with people how to live a waste free life, keep the oceans, parks and waterways clean, and educate people in the area on how to live a waste free life.

Do you have a zero waste store in your community? What are some of your favorite things to get there?

New Fascination: Zero Waste

I saw a video on Facebook the other week from the blog “Trash is for Tossers” about fitting 5 years of trash into ONE TINY JAR. Like. I throw more than a jar’s worth of trash away in a day. My question is… HOW? The answer is simple and not simple. You have to change your lifestyle to be able to go “Zero Waste”.

What is Zero Waste? Well, friends, it’s when the life you lead doesn’t produce garbage or trash that will end up in a landfill. But Roxanne, (you’re saying to yourself), how will I buy anything ever? There’s trash connected to everything we buy. Food comes in packages, tags are attached to clothes, and electronics come wrapped in plastic, heck when someone gives you a present it’s wrapped in bows and paper.

The first step: Assess your life and think about what it is you are throwing away, and how to limit that. Are you getting food in wrappers that are thrown away on a regular basis, like chips, protein bars, and juice bottles? Well, make those granola bars instead of buying the box of individually wrapped ones. Buy and use fabric produce bags to prevent taking a plastic bag every time you need a few apples. It’s all about being conscious of what you are doing on a day to day basis and choosing different products.

It’s all about making better choices. Making smarter, healthier, and more earth-friendly choices.

The 5 R’s of Zero waste: 

Refuse: Just say NO! No to plastic bottles of water, wrapped candies, straws in your drink, plastic bags at the store. Say no to plastic cups of beer at parties. Yeah bringing your own jar for a drink might look a little weird, but you aren’t making trash so let them look at you funny.

Reduce: You can cut back on the trash that you accumulate by making some simple purchases, like the items in the photo below. You can get your produce from the farmer’s market and reduce the amount of packaging you throw away. Shopping in the bulk area of the grocery store, getting local soaps, meats, and other package free products are a great way to start.

Recycle: This is an easy one to understand. Get things in recyclable packages, and recycle. Make an effort to not throw your recyclables in the trash. Also, buy things that are compostable, biodegradable, or eco-friendly. Buying local products didn’t come from a large plant and use fuel emissions to get shipped to you is another smart choice.

Reuse: Looks like you’re gonna have to spend money to save money. Get yourself some “Zero Waste” gear. Get reusable produce bags, grocery bags, jars for bulk food, reusable water bottles. ALSO start getting cozy with your local thrift store because this will be the best way to find awesome gently used clothes, furniture, and other household items.

Rot the Rest: Start a compost bin! There are a ton of ideas on the web for composting in small spaces, in your yard, and how to get started. Keep your food scraps and make them into the dirt to grow some herbs and veggies if you have a small apartment patio, or make a larger compost pile if you have an actual backyard.

Follow the Litterless blog and check out this post on how to get started. Litterless also makes a great point here about why to go zero waste: “I think it’s really critical for several reasons. First of all, trash doesn’t decompose in landfills – instead, it sits there more or less unchanged forever, belching out greenhouse gases like methane.”

Follow my “Off the Grid” Pinterest Board for Zero Waste ideas!

Remember, you CAN make a difference. One person at a time!

Ideal Shape up 12 Week Challenge

I posted in the past about the 15 day challenge that my friend and I did, and completed, a program by Trainer Lindsay Matthews from the IdealShape site. Best of all, it’s FREE. The meal plan, the workouts are all on YouTube, and there are Facebook groups you can join for support as well. It’s my kind of workout plan! The workouts are 6 days a week, but only 30 minutes a day, complete with a warmup and a cool down video. I was skeptical about the challenge because I’ve never stuck to a workout plan in my LIFE and never seen results when I did. But little did I know, I have really only stuck to plans that have lasted 3 or 4 weeks and then given up… But I have to say, this was different. It took a few weeks for me to see results, and a few more for everyone else. It took about 5 months for me to have to go buy new clothes, and see a real difference. I tell myself, it took me 33 years to put this weight on, it will take me more than a few weeks to take it off!

October 2015 / May 2016. 167 lbs vs 150 lbs.

And again, after photos in August 2016 after losing almost 30 pounds! (After weight being 140 pounds)

By no means was I overweight, but I was wearing a “plus size” in pants, and the Wii fit told me I was overweight for my height… And that was discouraging. But my best friend was doing this challenge at the same time I was so we kept each other on track, and I’m SO happy I did. I’ll be starting the program over when it’s done, and just picking up heavier weights to keep improving and getting stronger.

I also gained some important habits in the last 16 weeks too like my eating habits, (I can’t really eat fried foods or too much dairy or sweets anymore.) I eat way more fruits, veggies, and lean meats. I also drink WAY more water than I used to. I get up earlier in the morning and feel like I spend less money on food since I just buy almond milk and protein powder now for breakfast instead of cereal, eggs, oatmeal, and a ton of other random stuff. If anything the 12 week challenge was a gateway into a healthier lifestyle because I started to see and feel results, it’s something that helped me build my confidence and made me a better person overall.

Bottom line, I recommend it!

 

Week One of 60 Day Challenge

So week one has come to a close of my 60 day challenge and I have to day, I’m tired. I’ve gained 3 pounds, and I just want to take a nap, like all day long. But I’m not giving up! According to Beachbody.com  you gain weight when you start working out for one of 4 reasons. One of which is water weight due to inflammation because of the micro-tears your muscles go through when you work out. Once the inflammation goes down, you will lose the weight. You can also be eating the wrong things because working out, you get hungrier than normal, and may be reaching for the wrong foods. Which isn’t my problem. I am eating about 1500 calories a day and working out for an hour each morning.

P90X!

I’ve started to do P90X, and a week in, my body is sore! But I’m going to stick to it, and I know my body will get stronger. I’ve taken 32 years to put on this weight, and let my muscles take the back seat to fat cells, and I’m ready for them to switch roles. And no you are NOT seeing my before pics until I have some awesome after pics to compare them to.

Bogey loves when I’m on the yoga mat. He thinks it’s cuddle time.

I also had my first massage last week, with a gift certificate I had won, and it was amazing! (I WILL go back!) I learned a lot about my body too, which parts could use more work, why my back gets tight when I get anxious, and how my hips need some work, my bones are being weird and probably because of my weight. I carry my weight in my hips and backside. So I’m getting fit for my health.

So far this week, (5 of the 7 days)

• Every morning I drink a glass of hot honey lemon water.
• Eat a bowl of oatmeal with Almond milk for my pre workout carbs.
• Workout! (P90X – following the schedule for “P90X Lean”)
• Eat 200 calories of protein, either scrambled eggs or a protein shake.
• Set a goal to accomplish something around the house and do it.
• Try to eat more protein and veggies than carbs for my other meals.
• Track my meals with the “Lose It” app.
• Take a multi vitamin with dinner.
• Brush teeth and wash face before bed!
• Get 8 hours of sleep!

Note: These are ALL things I did not do before so positive results are expected to come!

These are habits I’m starting to grow into, and I want to keep them for the rest of my days.

Progress to come!

 

 

Wheatgrass Juice without a Juicer

Being the fiancé of a specialty farmer/gardener there are a lot of interesting edible greens growing in the back yard. Micro-greens, edible flowers, produce, and, wheatgrass. According to Wikipedia: “Wheatgrass is a good source of potassium, a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E(alpha tocopherol), vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, zinc, copper,manganese and selenium, and has a negligible amount of protein (less than one gram per 28 grams). Adding other foods with complementary amino acid profiles to this food may yield a more complete protein source and improve the quality of some types of restrictive diets.

Wheatgrass proponent Charles Schnabel claimed in the 1940s that “fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equal in overall nutritional value to 350 pounds of ordinary garden vegetables”,^[3] a ratio of 1:23.^[6] Despite claims of vitamin and mineral content disproportional to other vegetables, the nutrient content of wheatgrass juice is roughly equivalent to that of common vegetables.”

Wow! You get a lot of nutrients from wheatgrass, and if we have access to it, why won’t I use it?

We have a juicer, which you will see in one of the photos below, but when we do wheatgrass in it, it just clogs up the blades and makes it hard for other things to get through. You need a special wheatgrass and greens blade to juice greens, which we don’t have. I’ve heard of being able to blend wheatgrass with water and strain it, but I wanted to get more nutrition out of that process, so I used coconut water.

First, take your wheatgrass and cut it at the base with scissors.

Cut the wheatgrass, and cut it into about 2″ long pieces and put it in the blender. I was able to blend about a half of a flat at once.

I found that with a full blender, you need about a cup of liquid to really blend it.

Once you blend it, on high speed, and for a while, until it blends smooth, you’ll have a small amount of liquid in your blender along with some pulp of wheatgrass.

I used a simple strainer to strain the juice. Use a spoon to push the wheatgrass into the strainer. You’ll end up with some pulp that looks like what a cat will hack up in the yard, so I’ll spare you the photo.

The finished product! It smells like a fresh cut lawn, so I recommend mixing it with some juice, or into a smoothie. Enjoy!