75. Spinach (or other greens) and Pasta

2009/07/06 – 10:00 am

spinachI initially made this dish with baby spinach and have found that more mature spinach, kale and swiss chard taste as good. The amounts are for 2 people, but are easily increased for additional servings.

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • spinach, chopped
  • pine nuts (or walnuts)
  • pasta (or couscous)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup cooked navy beans or other white bean (optional)
  • parmesan cheese (optional)

While the pasta cooks, saute the garlic in olive oil until tender. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Add the beans and heat through. Serve over the pasta and garnish with roasted pine nuts or walnuts and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. If using kale or chard, the stems can be cut into bite size pieces and added to the pan a few minutes before the leaves as they need additional cooking time.

Enjoy!

74. Don’t Pre-heat Your Oven Unless Needed

2009/07/06 – 9:00 am

ovenFor most foods, pre-heating the oven is unnecessary. Meats, frozen convenience foods, casseroles can go into the oven as it heats up, saving time and the energy to heat an empty oven. This won’t work for cakes, breads, cookies or other pastry items. These need to bake at a consistent temperature from the start for proper texture.

73. Skip The Vinyl Shower Curtain and Use Fabric

2009/07/06 – 8:00 am

shower curtainFrankly I hate vinyl shower curtains. They smell bad, they attract mildew, are hard to clean, and thus need to be replaced fairly often. Fabric shower curtains, whether nylon, cotton, or hemp, are easy to clean in the washing machine, don’t smell bad, and last longer than vinyl. After washing, there is no need to dry it. Simply hang it back up on the rod.

72. Clean with Microfiber Cloths and Water

2009/07/02 – 10:00 am

microfiber clothsMicrofiber cloths are so good at cleaning that many messes can be cleaned with just the cloth and water. Or they can be used dry for dusting where they do just as well as disposable dusters. For tougher messes, a little vinegar or soap can be used, but still the microfiber will be doing the lion’s share of the work. Buy the multi-packs sold for cleaning cars for much less than they are sold in the housekeeping aisle. They last through hundreds of uses.

71. Make Stuff Last

2009/07/02 – 9:00 am

curbside chairTake care of your stuff and it will last longer, work better, and save you buying more stuff later. Consumer Reports published a handy guide on their website on how to Cut costs by making things last.

70. Invest in a Water Timer for Your Garden Hose

2009/07/02 – 8:00 am

hose timerIf you’re like me and don’t have an automatic irrigation system but still need to water a lawn or garden, you might want to invest in a timer for your outdoor faucet. It screws on to the tap and connects to the water hose. Set it for the amount of time you want it to run, turn on the water, and you’re done. It will turn off at the appointed time and prevent the water running for longer than intended should you forget about it. And it allows you to turn the water on and have it shut off automatically when you won’t be there to monitor it. There is a manual setting for times that you don’t want to engage the timer.

69. Water Plants Deeply and Infrequently

2009/07/01 – 10:00 am

wwater lawnLawns and plants will be healthier for it. Watering this way encourages the plants to sink deeper roots which makes them less vulnerable to drought, missed waterings and hot weather. Water enough to penetrate through the entire root zone. You can use a shovel to pry an opening in the grass and see how far the roots go down and how long your irrigation system needs to run.

68. Water Lawns and Gardens in the Morning

2009/07/01 – 9:00 am

water yard in the morningWatering in the cool of the morning will lessen the amount of water lost to evaporation.

67. Learn to Love Caulk and Weatherize Your Home

2009/07/01 – 8:00 am

caulkIt seals cracks to make them insect, air, and water proof which in turn protects your home and your heating/cooling bills. Check doors and windows for any cracks to be filled or caulk that is peeling and needs to be replaced. Don’t forget your bathtub!

If some caulk remains in the tube, place a piece of plastic wrap over the tip and secure with a rubberband to keep it from hardening for a short time. If you have extra, offer it to a friend who needs to weatherize their home.

How To Caulk

66. Stick to Renting DVDs…Bonus Points For Mail Service

2009/06/30 – 10:00 am

DVDIf you watch a lot of films, consider subscribing to a mail rental service such as Netflix or Blockbuster. You’ll still get a great selection of DVDs without running to the rental store, risking late fees, and without necessitating the production of yet more plastic discs. Netflix also sells it’s excess used DVDs at times, so if there is a movie that you like to own, keep an eye out and you might find a bargain.