CSA Diary: Winding Down

This provides a highlight of the things I've been making over the past month or so with my CSA veggies, minus the mundane and utter failures.

What I Got

• Acorn Squash
• Beets (with Greens)
• Field Greens
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
  
• Turnips (with Greens)

What I Made

• Sausage Jumble: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed turnips, radishes and leeks in olive oil until soft. Added Gimme Lean sausage until brown. Added turnip greens, beet greens and a can of tomatoes. Put sausage mixture on top of potatoes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and gobbled it up.
• Butternut Squash Soup: A large & very phallic-looking butternut squash, garlic, Honeyrun Farm's honey, salt, pepper, carrots, onions, celery, olive oil, Not-Chick'n Bouillon Cubes, 1% milk. (Not the best soup I've ever made, I'll have to admit.)
  
• Sweet & Tangy Salad: Tossed together field greens, dried figs, Trader Joe's Stilton apricot cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper, almonds.
• Bubbles & Squeakish: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed leeks, turnip greens and cabbage. Added Morningstar's sausage crumbles and topped with a slice of Swiss cheese.
• Rutabaga & Broccoli Mash: Boiled rutabaga and broccoli stalks. Ran them through the food processor with butter, salt, pepper and thyme until smooth. Tastes like a very sweet version of mashed potatoes.
• Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup: Sauteed onion, celery, garlic. Added butternut squash, white wine, veggie broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, cloves and boiled until soft. Added whipping cream, oregano, salt, pepper, Great Northern beans. (A much improved soup in comparison to the soup listed above!)
• Green Spaghetti: Spaghetti with Newman's Own Cabernet Marina sauce and Morningstar Grillers Crumbles with sauteed green onions, beet greens and kale.
  

* From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

Shopping for a Furnace & Air Conditioner

I just went through the process of shopping for a furnace/air conditioner to replace my 30+ year old units, so I thought I would share my newfound, soon-to-be-forgotten, wisdom with you.

Step One:
Ask your friends. I got recommendations from friends, family and co-workers, simply to help narrow down the choices, as there are a LOT of them!

Step Two:
Look up your "leads" on these sites to get an idea of what their service is like, what their customer satisfaction ratings are, whether or not they have the required state licenses and certifications, etc.

• Air Conditioning Contractors of America
• Angie's List (Requires a subscription.)
• Better Business Bureau
• North American Technician Excellence certified (NATE)
• Ohio Department of Commerce's Company Licensee Lookup
• ReferenceUSA (Though this requires a subscription, many libraries, such as the Westerville Library, provide access to their library card holders.)
  

Step Three:
Create a checklist of questions to ask the salesperson/contractor once you start getting quotes. Get three quotes or more for comparison. EnergyStar.gov provides a good starting point in their Heat & Cool Efficiently article. Keep in mind that what makes a unit most efficient is its proper installation. Here are a few of the things I considered during the quote process:

• Breakdown of expenses (cost of unit versus cost of labor)?
• Any duct work (sealing) that needs to be done to increase efficiency of the unit?
  
• What are the AFUE ratings for the quoted furnaces and the SEER ratings for the quoted air conditioners? (Note: For furnaces, the higher the AFUE rating, the better, with a maximum rating of 100. For air conditioners, the higher the SEER rating, the better. The standard range is currently between 13.0 and 16.0 rating.)
• Is there an installation checklist, such as the Manual J, that will be used during the installation process?
  
• Is the quoted unit correct sized for my home? (Sizing has a direct correlation with unit efficiency. A unit too big or too small for your home will decrease its energy efficiency.)
• Be sure to walk away with a written quote with the suggested units' specifications.

Step 4:
After getting quotes for specific units, Google the unit model numbers that have been quoted to find out what other customers are saying. One bad review isn't worth noting, but numerous bad reviews may be.

What I Got:
After this whole process, I bet you're wondering what company/units I went with. Based on the conversations I had with the three companies I worked with (Hetter Heating & Cooling, Columbus Worthington Air and ML Heating & Air Conditioning), I made the decision to go with Hetter Heating & Cooling. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The company had a great Better Business Bureau rating. They had many of the HVAC certifications/licenses that I had researched. They quoted a good price and were interested in helping me find an energy efficient unit that I would be happy with.

• HVAC Company: Hetter Heating & Cooling
• Air Conditioning Unit: Trane XR15, 15-SEER rating (A 16-SEER unit was also quoted, but came with a significant price increase.)
  
• Furnace Unit: Trane XR95 (95 AFUE rating)

Overall, I felt very comfortable with my choice! I got to use the heater last week for the first time and the difference is remarkable. Here's to warm nights in my future!

CSA Diary: Week ???

Ok, confession time: I've had some recent CSA failures. A botched attempt at greening up some Campbell's tomato soup, a fake chicken noodle soup that had a lot of celery and not a lot else, some burned remakes of earlier concoctions...But here are a few of the not-so-bad inventions from the past couple of weeks.

What I Got

• Butternut squash
• Celery
• Edamame
  
• Radishes
• Turnips (with greens)

What I Made

• Edamame: I love to snack on edamame. Just boil them up for a few minutes and pop them out of their pods. It's important to note that the pods are not like snow pea or snap pea pods. They're tough and furry and don't feel too good going down!
• Rainbow Pasta: Chop and saute turnips, radishes, turnip greens, cherry tomatoes (that I grew!) and green onions* with olive oil until tender. Add pesto** and toss with spaghetti.
• Chimichurri Rice, Enhanced: Sauteed celery, turnips and radishes in olive oil. Added Trader Joe's chimchurri rice and Meijer organic kidney beans until warm. Topped with cheddar cheese.
  
• Pearsauce: Tried out a recipe that my sister has successfully made many times, Pear Soup. However, mine turned out more like a pear version of applesauce. Good, but not as good as Cath's! Used pears from Lynd's Fruit Farm, Wholesome Sweeteners' brown sugar from Raisin Rack and sage from Cath's garden.
• Apple Crisp: Used apples from Lynd's Fruit Farm and the Simple Apple Crisp recipe from Recipezaar, but added some rolled oats to give it some more crunch.
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**I made this pesto over a year ago. Took basil, garlic, lemon juice, almonds, olive oil and Parmesan cheese and blended in a food processor. Poured into an ice cube tray and froze. Once frozen, dumped the cubes into a plastic freezer bag and it's held up for the past year!

CSA Diary: Week Seventeen

What I Got:

• Banana Peppers
• Cantaloupe
  
• Edamame
• Green Beans
• Green(ish) Peppers
  
• Purple Onion
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
  

What I Made:

• Yellow Wax Beans* & Green Beans: Steamed the beans with butter and garlic salt.
• Veggie Omelette: Omelet filled with green pepper, banana peppers, diced tomatoes and garlic. Topped with cheddar cheese.
  
• Fake Chicken Noodle Soup: Boiled edamame and de-podded, then set aside. Boiled white carrots** with non-chicken bouillon cubes, added celery***, mixed in sauteed red pepper, garlic and onion and edamame. Added Amish egg noodles.**** Cooked until tender.
  
• Cantaloupe: Ate it plain. Yum.
  

*Courtesy of Mandy!
**Courtesy of Angie!
***From the Clintonville Farmer's Market
****From Worthington Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Fourteen, Fifteen & Sixteen

Well, I think I must have hit the summer rut. I've just been making repeats of tried-and-trues for weeks now. But here's a bit of it, just in case you're dying to know what I've been putting in my belly...

What I Got:

• Edamame (pictured below)
  
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Green Peppers
  
• Hot Peppers
• Sweet Corn
  
• Yellow Tomatoes (pictured below)
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Salsa Tacos: Sauteed fake meat with finely chopped zucchini and yellow squash and packet of taco seasoning. Served in a taco shell with a crapload of fresh yellow tomato salsa (tastes the same as red tomato salsa!), some cheddar cheese and some sour cream.
  
• Green Beans: Steamed green beans with butter and garlic salt. Simple, but oddly satisfying.
  
• Colorful Veggie Pasta: Sauteed hot peppers, green pepper, garlic, edamame (boiled and de-podded first), zucchini, yellow squash, sweet corn and green beans. Tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Topped with chopped tomatoes, slivered almonds and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
  
• Eggplant Randomness: Eggplant sauteed with hot peppers, garlic, basil, yellow squash. Tossed with marinara sauce and spaghetti. Topped with slivered almonds and feta cheese.
  

CSA Diary: Week Thirteen

What I Got:

• Garlic
• Green Beans
  
• Green Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Yellow Squash
  
• Zucchini
  

What I Made:

• Tomato & Cheese Sandwiches: White bread, toasted. Sliced tomatoes. Provolone cheese, sliced. Veganaise. Repeat many times over many days.
  
• Fried Egg on Bed of Salsa: Lots of salsa (tomatoes, green peppers, ancho peppers, garlic, onion and lemon juice.) to be eaten! This week's made a nice bed for my sad and pathetic attempts at frying an egg. Still tasty, though.
• Steamed Green Beans: Microwaved green beans for 2 minutes with garlic salt and a bit of butter. Super easy.
  
• Salty Smores: Not at all green, but oh so yummy! Graham crackers and World Market's Sea Salt Dark Chocolate, microwaved with two marshmallows for 9 seconds.
  

CSA Diary: Week Twelve

What I Got:

• Ancho Peppers
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Green Peppers
• Okra (That I pawned off onto to Susan!)
• Tomatoes (lots & lots of tomatoes!)
  

What I Made:

• Corn Salad: Green leaf lettuce tossed with corn*, tomatoes, cucumber* and salted pepitas. Topped with bleu cheese dressing (of course.)
  
• Salsa Mac: Leftover macaroni & cheese topped with fresh salsa (tomatoes, green peppers, ancho peppers, garlic, onion and lemon juice.)
• Cucumber Salad: Cucumber*, tomatoes, and white onion tossed with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil. (I often add feta cheese to this, but was out of it, so I made the following instead:)
  
• Red, White & Green Provolone Sandwiches: White bread spread with Veganaise, layered with provolone cheese and cucumber salad as listed above.
  

CSA Diary: Week Eleven

So, I wanted to preface this post by saying that the "what I got" section of my CSA diary is a bit a-typical. This is my 4th(?) year with my CSA, and it has been a rough one. Weather has prevented our farmers from gleaning all that they had planned for in this year's harvest. This is why joining a CSA is so important to farmers. It makes it slightly less of a gamble for those using organic practices to weather out the bad years when they know that they have loyal clients who will continue to support them. It's difficult, knowing that my bounty isn't quite as plentiful as it has been in past years, but then again, it's given me an excuse to eat out more often!

What I Got:

• banana pepper
• basil
• eggplant
• garlic
• green pepper
• jalapeno pepper
• tomatoes (3 different kinds)

What I Made:

• Rainbow Salsa: I diced up the deep purple, cherry red and bright yellow tomatoes along with the green, banana and jalapeno peppers and a few cloves of garlic to make a tasty salsa. Throw in a bit of lemon and some diced onion and you're set!
• Eggplant Parmesan, Kinda: Diced up an eggplant and sauteed it with a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil. Added in some basil and some marinara sauce, then topped with almonds, mozzarella cheese and some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The almonds replaced the texture of the usual bread crumbs and added to the nuttiness of the cheese.
  

CSA Diary: Week Ten

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Swiss Chard
  
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
• Yellow Squash

How I Used It:

• Polenta with Salsa: Topped Cath's super special polenta with tomato salsa from last week and fresh corn*. Yum!
  
• Cucumber: Sliced cucumber. Ate plain. Quite refreshing during these hot hot days.
• Swiss Chard Spaghetti, sans Spaghetti: Finely chopped yellow squash and garlic, sauteed, then added swiss chard until wilted. Added Morningstar Grillers, Newman's Own Marinara Sauce (both found at Target) until warm. Topped with mozzarella cheese.
• Swiss Cheese Sandwiches: White bread, mayo, Swiss cheese slices with sliced tomatoes and watercress.
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA DIary: Week Nine

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Green Chile Pepper
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Green Pepper
  
• Onion
• Tomatillos
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Tomatillo Salsa: Boiled tomatillos until soft. Pureed in food processor. Diced green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro. Ate with multigrain scoop tortilla chips.
  
• Tomato Salsa: Diced tomatoes, green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic clove. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro.
  
• Polenta with Yellow Squash & Cabbage: Sauteed onion, diced yellow squash and cabbage with two cloves garlic, salt and pepper until tender. Set aside. Sauteed Cath's super special polenta with olive oil until slightly crisp. Plated polenta and topped with yellow squash/cabbage, tomatoes and crumbled Morningstar bacon.
• Cucumber w/Dip: Sliced and ate with blue cheese dressing. Nothing fancy, but extremely refreshing on a 90+ degree day!
• Nuts & Such Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, sliced almonds and blue cheese dressing.
  

CSA Diary: Week Eight

What I Got:

• Fennel
• Garlic
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Potato & Green Bean Stew: Sauteed onion* and garlic. Boiled sliced Yukon Gold potatoes (with skins) until soft. Drained, then added onion/garlic mix, 2 cups water, 2 Celifibr beef bouillon cubes**, sliced carrots*, diced zucchini and green beans*. Cooked until soft. Added peas*** and basil.
• Fennel Salad: Sliced fennel bulbs thin, then mixed with green grapes, dried figs, lemon juice and olive oil. Topped with Pecorino Romano cheese and slivered almonds.
• Almond & Cranberry Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce & frisee with slivered almonds, dried cranberries and blue cheese dressing.
• Zucchini Muffins: Um, yeah, there's zucchini in it. Here's the recipe.
• Spaghettti without the Spaghetti: Morningstar Crumbles sauteed with kale and topped with Newman's Own marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

* From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**From Raisin Rack
***From Mandy's CSA, The Wayward Seed

CSA Diary: Week Seven

I got lazy this week and didn't cook very much. I blame the 95 degree weather and no air conditioning!



What I Got:

• Basil
• Cabbage
• Fennel
• Frisee (lettuce)
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Italian Sausage Scramble: Sauteed onion*, yellow squash, canned tomatoes, a bit of cabbage, Tofurky's Italian sausage and kale in a skillet. Topped with mozzarella cheese. (It's actually pepperjack in the above picture, which was just a tad too spicy.)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Topped with some mixed nuts lying around the house.
• Frisee, Zucchini, Fennel & Basil: TBD
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market

Dishing It Up

I used to be a Cascade girl (pre-green), then switched to Seventh Generation's Automatic Dishwasher Detergent as my first eco-friendly alternative, but was never really happy with the results.

So, before the dish runs away with the spoon, I'll fork over some product advice: Ecover's Dishwasher Tablets rock.

Though I have never used dishwashing detergent in tablet form before, I'm quite pleased with the results! (I picked up my first box at Raisin Rack, but you can find it at Whole Foods as well.)

CSA Diary: Week Six

What I Got:

• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Bulgar Mix: Sauteed onion*, garlic scapes, carrots*, zucchini and Swiss chard, then mixed with cooked bulgar. Then topped with shredded Parmesan and ranch dressing.
• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Omelet: Sauteed finely chopped green onions*, garlic scapes, zucchini, yellow squash and sugar snap peas with olive oil. Added eggs until cooked. Added Swiss chard until wilted. Seasoned with salt & pepper and topped with cheddar cheese, pepperjack cheese and canned tomatoes. (You may have noticed by now that I like canned tomatoes...)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Would have added almonds if I had them.
• Kale: TBD
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Five

What I Got:

• Beets with Greens
• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Mint
  
• Swiss Chard
• Sugar Snap Peas (not pictured, as I ate them immediately upon arrival)
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Taco Salad w/Bulgar: Sauteed grated zucchini & yellow squash with taco seasoning, minced onion & red pepper flakes. Added garlic scapes, kohlrabe greens and kale. Mixed in some canned tomatoes, Morningstar Grillers Crumbles and bulgar. Serve warm or cold.
• Chickpea & Greens Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes, swiss chard and beet greens with olive oil. Tossed in artichoke hearts, chickpeas, canned tomatoes and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (from Worthington Farmer's Market). Added smoked sea salt (from Whole Foods) and oregano to taste.
• Cabbage Salad: Toss together chopped cabbage, mixed nuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Super simple and refreshing, but stay away if you don't like cabbage or nuts, because they are certainly not masked in this one!
• Beets: They make great presents.
  

CSA Diary: Week Four

What I Got:

• Garlic Scapes ♥ ♥ ♥
• Kohlrabe (with Greens)
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard

How I Used It:

• Faux-Italian Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes and kohlrabe with pizza seasoning and minced onion until tender. Added kale and kohlrabe greens, then topped with canned tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
  
• Swiss Chard & Feta Quiche: Sauteed swiss chard and garlic scapes. Cooled and squeezed out excess water, then mixed with 6 room-temperature eggs, 2 cups unsweetened soy milk and 1/2 a brick of Meadow Maid's feta cheese. Poured mixture into pre-baked pie crust, then baked for 40 minutes at 350°F.
• Sugar Snap Peas: Easy. Dip peas in blue cheese dressing and devour.
  

CSA Diary: Week Three

What I Got:

• Spinach
• Escarole
• Green Leaf Lettuce (or Romaine?)
  
• Kale
• Field Greens

How I Used It:

• Spinach: Tossed in a salad with olive oil & red wine vinegar dressing, salty pepitas from Trader Joe's and dill cheddar curd from Blue Jacket Dairy.
• Spinach & Mint: Cooked up a box of Near East's Toasted Pine Nut Couscous, then mixed in half a can of pineapple and a bunch of chopped mint. Cooled to room temperature and served over a bed of spinach. (Thanks, Lynn for the idea!)
• Field Greens: Topped with cajun-seasoned peanuts and blue cheese dressing.
  
• Escarole: Sauteed with olive oil, minced onion and red pepper flakes. Tossed with spaghetti, artichoke hearts, a bit of mushroom broth and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (found at the Worthington Farmer's Market.)
• Kale: TBD
  

CSA Diary: Week Two

What I Got:

• Kale
• Green Onions
• Head Lettuce
• Bok Choy
  
• Spinach

How I Used It:

• Kale, Green Onions, Head Lettuce: Sauteed kale and green onions with olive oil. Added Morningstar Griller Crumbles, Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning, red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes. Topped with shredded cheddar and head lettuce.
  
• Spinach: Tossed spinach with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
• Head Lettuce: Tossed lettuce with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
  
• Bok Choy & Green Onions: Sauteed green onions with olive oil, Tree of Life's firm tofu and San-J teriyaki sauce, then bok choy.
• Spinach: Microwaved leftover tofu, black beans, hominy, canned tomatoes, minced onion, red pepper flakes and taco seasoning. Topped with spinach and shredded cheddar cheese.
• Mint: Still TBD. Anyone have mint recipes that aren't drinks or desserts?
  

CSA Diary: Week One

What I Got:

• Mint
• Kale
• Bok Choy
• Head Lettuce

How I Used It:

• Kale & Lettuce: Sauteed kale with olive oil, then mixed with Morningstar grillers crumbles, taco seasoning, red pepper flakes, minced onion, plain yogurt and canned tomatoes. Topped with lettuce.
  
• Bok Choy: Marinated firm tofu with Teriyaki sauce. Sauteed in skillet, then added bok choy (both stems and greens) until greens were slightly wilted. Topped with almonds.
  
• Lettuce: Mixed black beans, hominy, tofu and canned tomatoes with taco seasoning, red pepper flakes, hickory smoke salt, minced onion. Topped with cheddar cheese and lettuce.
• Mint: TBD
  

Read the Fine Print

Of course, printing is my nemesis. I would take information in electronic format over print format every time. However, I realize this is an unrealistic expectation. Sometimes business cards and fliers and posters and brochures are necessary. They reach an audience that might not be reached via Facebook or Google or the like. Sometimes the Internet is just not available or not as convenient. I know, I hate it, but there it is.

So, here are some tips when you just HAVE to print something.

• Be picky when choosing a font. Some are more compact and require less ink. Or try out the EcoFont!
• Try printing "teasers" rather than the whole document. For example, print out business cards with your information, as well as a link to your presentation or website for further reference.
• Use paper with recycled content. It's of a much higher quality and much less expensive than it was even 5 years ago. Or print on scrap paper if you have it.
  
• Print on both sides when possible. (I realize some printers jam when trying to do this, but most home printers aren't sensitive enough to jam.)
• Try expanding your margins for items that don't require specific decorum.
• Use the "Print Preview" option to make sure it's going to print the way you expect, as well as to avoid printing a page with just one or two lines on it. When printing articles from the Internet, always look for the printer icon on the page before printing from the browser. It will usually remove unnecessary advertisements and page elements such as navigation links.
• When given the option, try printing in draft mode.
  
• Try downloading the GreenPrint software which automates a lot of the eco-friendly printer options for you.
• Print only what you need. (I know, duh. But the "just in case" mentality is hard to ignore sometimes!)
• Recycle your printer cartridges once the ink has run dry. Many office supply stores will accept printer cartridges. Search "inkjet cartridges" or "toner cartridges" at Earth911 for drop-off locations near you. Also, the Westerville Library offers a drop-off right inside the main doors.
• Recycle paper when you're finished with it. Or you can shred it and compost it, if you are so inclined.

Now, that's a fine print.

Update: Here's an article about different fonts and how eco-friendly they are based on paper and ink use. Might be worth a read!

Recoil from Fridge Grime

Did you know that all of the dust and dirt (and cat fur) that collects under your refrigerator can cause it to work harder to keep everything inside it cool?

To save energy, you should clean off the coils of your fridge every 6 months to a year. This sounds daunting, but it is extremely easy.

Step 1: Buy a universal coil brush. (I got mine at Home Depot near the refrigerators. They are extremely cheap.)

Step 2: Unplug your refrigerator. (Once you get a firm grip on the fridge, you can scoot it forward fairly easily in order to reach the plug. Really, I have no muscles and I was able to move mine with ease.)

Step 3: Open the fridge door and pop off the grate located near the bottom.

Step 4: Use the coil brush to clean the coils that are hidden under your fridge. (I usually can't see the coils, so I just move the brush around blindly and pull out embarrassing amounts of grossness, as pictured below.)

Step 5: Pop the grate back on. This may take a forceful punch to do, but you should be able to feel it snap back into place. Plug your refrigerator back in. Clean off the brush for next time.

Your fridge is one of the biggest energy hogs in your house, so anything you can do to make it run a little easier will save you money!

Down the Drain, or How to Unclog Just about Anything

I'm piping up with two tips for your pipes:

1. Buy something called Zip-It. (I got mine at Lowes in the plumbing aisle.) Simply push the Zip-It down your clogged drain and pull it back up. Watch the video to see how simple, and disgusting, it can be!



2. If the Zip-It doesn't do the trick, sprinkle about 1/2 cup baking soda over the drain and douse it with about 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar. Let it sizzle for 20 minutes then rinse it down with some hot water. I swear it works, though you may have to try it twice.

These options are significantly cheaper than name brand uncloggers like Drano and you won't have to worry about accidentally poisoning any household pets are small children. A win-win for everyone!

Say Sayonara to Saran Wrap

Sick of saran wrap or aluminum foil? Put a lid on it and try Keepeez food storage lids!

These lids fit containers of all types and sizes, are reusable and keep food fresher for longer, making them both eco-friendly and convenient.

Simply press down and the lid is vacuum-sealed to the container. To remove, just push up to break the seal.

To prove how easy it is, you can watch this cheesy YouTube video: