Yummy Spaghetti and Meat-sauce

Something I think is important is a good spaghetti recipe. Who does like spaghetti? I mean I can understand why some people are sick of it, after growing up and having spaghetti every Wednesday night. But once you get past that spaghetti is a quick and easy meal. You can make it the day of, or ahead of time and freeze the sauce! I've done both with the following recipe and it works out great! :) Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 can beef broth
3 cups tomato sauce
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow or orange pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

1 package of dry spaghetti, cooked and drained

Preperation:
1. Brown the beef with onion and garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. Drain excess fat.
3. Add beef broth. Simmer.
4. Add the next eight ingredients (switch to a deep pot).
5. Mix well.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve over hot spaghetti with garlic bread.
** Optional - If someone doesn't like chunks in their sauce, blend the tomato and peppers to make a paste.

Green Tips of the Week - Jan 24

Here's this week's list of sustainability tips!  Go and make your life more green!

1. Eat meat-free meals once a week. Meat makes a person's eco-footprint much bigger as it takes more resources. However, chicken makes the smallest eco-footprint of all meats.

2. Reuse water. Collect the water used to rinse food like fruits and veggies, then re-use that water to houseplants! You can easily collect water in the summertime - just get some buckets to collect rain water.

3. Try to be "carbon neutral". Air traveling and driving all have GHG effects.  "Here's how it works: if you add polluting emissions to the atmosphere, you can effectively subtract them by purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are simply credits for emission reductions achieved by projects such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency retrofits. You can purchase these credits and apply them to your own emissions to reduce your net climate impact." - Check out more from www.davidsuzuki.org.

4. Install a water-efficient showerhead. If your shower fills a 4L bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the shower head with a water efficient model. At Canadian Tire you can get a "low-flow showerhead" for as low as $5.99.

5. Plastic #2, #4 and #5. These are the safest kinds of plastic to reuse. Then you can check and see if #1, #3, #6 and #7 are recycled in your province! Check out About.com's information about recycling plastics.

One last fact: Canadians and Americans are the heaviest users of energy in the WORLD, on a per capita basis.

Now head back into your daily life and go green :)

Green tips of the week- Jan 15

Here are some Green Tips for this week!

1. Host a clothing-swap. My sister and I do this a lot, as do my best friend and I. If you are sick of some of your clothes, go through your closet and put the ones you don't want anymore aside. Tell some of your friends to do the same, then get together and swap clothes! It's a great way to get new clothes (new-to-you) and be sustainable. Any leftovers can be donated to Big Brothers and Big Sisters!

2. Reduce your carbon footprint. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint - this includes using your car less or buying a more fuel efficient vehicle.  You can calculate your carbon footprint here: http://tiny.cc/49cd1

3.  Always carry reusable bags. This is one I really want to start working on, because Scott and I always forget our reusable bags at home! Some reusable bags fold up and fit in any size purse great. Invest in a few of those and you'll always have a bag on hand! Plastic bags can take from 50 to 1,000 years to decompose!!

4. Use biodegradable detergents for your laundry and dishes. Many chemicals used to make detergents "more powerful" cause damage to our Earth. By using biodegradable detergents we are helping out the Earth! It's also a good idea to use vinegar and water to clean the kitchen and bathroom. Vinegar acts as a cleaner for pipes, so not only will it clean those spaces but it will help clean your pipes also!

5. When printing documents - use recycled, non-bleached paper.  The number of trees cut down can be reduced and the chemicals used to making paper so white can also be reduced. Staples sells recycled paper, check it out: http://tiny.cc/qv7jj.

6. Buy local! For all of you who had Mrs. MacDonald for grade 12 geography can't you remember her telling us, "Local, local, local". She always tried to drill in our head how fantastic it was to buy local. Now I totally understand this reduces the shipping because it is not coming from far away! And we are able to support our local farmers.

Here are your tips for the week! Try them out and let me know how they're working out for you.

Green Tips of the Week

I have a new desk calendar in my living room which gives daily sustainability tips. So I have decided to share some of the best tips weekly!

1. Make a resolution to 'go green'. Read books about going green, follow blogs, or research information about being sustainable.

2. Stay fit by jogging, biking, walking or skating outdoors. By spending time outdoors you will develop an appreciation for nature. Since it is winter one often finds it harder to get outdoors, so skating, skiing or sledding are great ways to keep fit while spending time outdoors.

3. Wash your clothes in cold water. Not only will this save money but, lower energy consumption reduces greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere. However, things like dishcloths and towels should still be washed in hot or warm/cold water.

4. Repair your clothes. Instead of throwing out clothes that have gotten a hole etc., repair those clothes. Extending the life of your clothes makes it so you "buy less, save money and put less demand on the environment". If you can't sew, try and learn or find someone who can help you out.

5. Drink tap water, not bottled water. In North America most cities have water that is just as good - or better than - bottled water. This also reduces the plastic waste that is filling up our landfills. If you are on a well and do not want to consume your water - try buying a filter to attach to your tap.

6. Use baking soda as a cleaner. Not only can baking soda help your fridge stay fresh, but it can clean the tub, the toilet or even your carpet and rugs! By using baking soda instead of harsh chemical cleaners it is better to send those down the drain. Also, by sprinkling baking soda on carpet, rugs or your fabric couches and letting it sit can help clean it!

7. Compost! Composting naturally breaks down organic matter, not only does composting reduce what goes in our landfills but it also can provide soil for a garden!

Try these out and next week I will post more tips to make your life more sustainable!

Videos that make me smile

I often spend time watching videos friends post on facebook and twitter. I thought I'd share some of my favorites and then ask you to share in the comments below some of your own favorite videos I may have not seen or forgotten about.


Recently my sister showed me this video and it makes me happy every time I watch it!

 

If you are like me and love animals - especially elephants you'll appreciate this next video.

For holiday/ animal lovers!

Someday this kid may hate his Dad for this - but really I think he should embrace it.

This next one is amazing, but I wonder if the elephants enjoy painting - or if it is something they HAVE to do.

The biggest regret about my life is that I'll never have a dog.

Baby monkey. That is all. Now watch.

Here's a classic:

Makes my heart melt <3

Now I've shared some of my favorite videos, do you have any that I may like? Hope this made your day a little bit brighter :)