Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sometimes you just need a simple, not-so-healthy meal
Mr. GV makes these sometimes for us--sourdough bread, pizza sauce, vegan pepperoni, and Daiya cheese. Well, that's mine.
Mr. GV often addes pineapple. This particular time we didn't have any, so he added mango.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Valentine's Treat
*Pictures are from my cell phone, so not ideal, but still show the highlights from the weekend!
Mr. GV and I decided to take a weekend away from home. Some years we exchange Valentine's gifts, and some years we don't. This year I had said that I just wanted a weekend away from home that I didn't need to plan. And so that is what I got!
The highlight of the weekend was the show that Mr. GV surprised me with:
It was freezing cold so we got there early to get valet parking. That meant we had a long wait but we passed the time reading, talking to my mom on the phone, and snapping pictures of ourselves.
That was the big event of the weekend, but we packed a lot more into our 3 days/2 nights! Friday we arrived in time for lunch, so we headed to Woodland's, an Indian vegetarian restaurant in time for the buffet. Iddly, dosa, rice, potato bonda, plus a couple of main dishes, and of course delicious tamarind.
After lunch we checked into our hotel, and then it was time to head to the movies to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 3-D. This was my first time using Fandango, and I have to say I loved it. If you have to travel to see movies or don't want to stand out in the cold while waiting for tickets, Fandango is the way to go. The movie itself---well, it is Star Wars, so right there I knew I wanted to see it again. But as Mr. GV and a coworker discussed, it is probably the worst of the 6. My thought was Jar Jar Binks was just as annoying this time around. lol
Whole Foods was right down the street from the movie theater, so we popped in after and picked up a few things for dinner. The rest of the evening was spent in our room, watching TV and just spending time together.
Saturday Mr. GV worked out, we went by the recycling facility with our glass/#3-7 plastics, and headed to The Wild Cow restaurant for lunch. I don't have any pictures of lunch but I can tell you what we ate: Mr. GV had the Philly, Mixed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce, and Garlicky Kale, and I had the Wild Reuben, Pesto Couscous, and Zucchini-Artichoke-Greens Soup. (Both my sides were DElicious, by the way!) Oops I do have one picture, of dessert naturally. We shared a slice of TN Terrapin Cake (chocolate and vanilla cake, caramel, yum yum.)
After lunch Mr. GV dropped me off at McKay Used Books to trade in some books for credit and look around for a bit, while he hung out at Starbucks. I came home with 4 books---3 cozy mysteries and one non-fiction. Then it was off to change and get ready for South Pacific.
Sunday we had lunch at The Wild Cow again. I again went for the Reuben. What can I say? I love those things! My side was chickpea salad. Mr. GV had the French Quarter Dip, along with mashed sweet potatoes and the soup of the day, sweet-potato ginger. For dessert we shared another piece of cake, a caramelized hazelnut cake with vegan Nutella frosting. I enjoyed it, but Mr. GV really loved it. We rarely have dessert at home, so when we are eating out and they have vegan dessert, I am not going to pass it up.
After lunch we took our first ever trip to REI. Mr. GV found some biking/running clothes and I even came home with a slouch beanie that I love.
Last it was on to Whole Foods to stock up on things we can't get in our small town, organic kale being one of those things.
We had a great weekend away from home, and it was nice to just focus on each other for a couple of days. Even with no children at home, there are still responsibilities that keep us from always appreciating the time we have with each other!
Mr. GV and I decided to take a weekend away from home. Some years we exchange Valentine's gifts, and some years we don't. This year I had said that I just wanted a weekend away from home that I didn't need to plan. And so that is what I got!
The highlight of the weekend was the show that Mr. GV surprised me with:
Yes, we saw South Pacific! It was very enjoyable. I had no idea what the story was about (well I knew it took place in the South Pacific during WWII) so the theme of racism was a surprise to me. My favorite song was "You Have To Be Taught" which essentially says you have to be taught to hate. So true!!
That was the big event of the weekend, but we packed a lot more into our 3 days/2 nights! Friday we arrived in time for lunch, so we headed to Woodland's, an Indian vegetarian restaurant in time for the buffet. Iddly, dosa, rice, potato bonda, plus a couple of main dishes, and of course delicious tamarind.
After lunch we checked into our hotel, and then it was time to head to the movies to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 3-D. This was my first time using Fandango, and I have to say I loved it. If you have to travel to see movies or don't want to stand out in the cold while waiting for tickets, Fandango is the way to go. The movie itself---well, it is Star Wars, so right there I knew I wanted to see it again. But as Mr. GV and a coworker discussed, it is probably the worst of the 6. My thought was Jar Jar Binks was just as annoying this time around. lol
Whole Foods was right down the street from the movie theater, so we popped in after and picked up a few things for dinner. The rest of the evening was spent in our room, watching TV and just spending time together.
Saturday Mr. GV worked out, we went by the recycling facility with our glass/#3-7 plastics, and headed to The Wild Cow restaurant for lunch. I don't have any pictures of lunch but I can tell you what we ate: Mr. GV had the Philly, Mixed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce, and Garlicky Kale, and I had the Wild Reuben, Pesto Couscous, and Zucchini-Artichoke-Greens Soup. (Both my sides were DElicious, by the way!) Oops I do have one picture, of dessert naturally. We shared a slice of TN Terrapin Cake (chocolate and vanilla cake, caramel, yum yum.)
After lunch Mr. GV dropped me off at McKay Used Books to trade in some books for credit and look around for a bit, while he hung out at Starbucks. I came home with 4 books---3 cozy mysteries and one non-fiction. Then it was off to change and get ready for South Pacific.
Sunday we had lunch at The Wild Cow again. I again went for the Reuben. What can I say? I love those things! My side was chickpea salad. Mr. GV had the French Quarter Dip, along with mashed sweet potatoes and the soup of the day, sweet-potato ginger. For dessert we shared another piece of cake, a caramelized hazelnut cake with vegan Nutella frosting. I enjoyed it, but Mr. GV really loved it. We rarely have dessert at home, so when we are eating out and they have vegan dessert, I am not going to pass it up.
Last it was on to Whole Foods to stock up on things we can't get in our small town, organic kale being one of those things.
We had a great weekend away from home, and it was nice to just focus on each other for a couple of days. Even with no children at home, there are still responsibilities that keep us from always appreciating the time we have with each other!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Cutting the cord
A little over a month ago, we finally cut the cord to cable TV land!
I wasn't sure how it would go. I thought I'd be fine with it, but wondered if after having easy access to television for so many years, I'd miss it terribly. But guess what? I don't!
I don't want to give the impression we are completely "deprived" here at the GreenVeggie household. Oh no. We reactivated our Netflix subscription (streaming only for right now) and signed up for Hulu+. And we bought a Roku box, which we use for Netflix/Hulu. I am not one to sit around a small computer screen to watch a program, we don't own a game system, and we don't have internet-ready TV. So a Roku or something similar was needed.
We could watch a lot of TV and movies with what's available to us, if we so desired. But somehow getting rid of cable service and all those channels has taken most of our TV-watching need from us. And no more flipping through the channels means no more being sucked into an assortment of mind-numbing shows.
Mr. GV quit watching most of the series he enjoyed, and figures he will get them through Netflix when the season comes out---if he still wants to see them. Seems TV shows just become habit sometimes. I find I am enjoying what I do watch a lot more, maybe because TV doesn't seem like an "obligation" to delete off our Tivo.
As a nice perk, we are saving some money too. The cable bill has gone from $135 to $45 (still have internet), Tivo was cancelled ($5 or $6, can't remember exactly.) We did add Hulu and reactivate Netflix, but the savings is still substantial.
Eventually we'd like to replace our dinosaur TV with a newer snazzy model, and the savings from cutting cable will allow us to pay for that in just a few months.
Anybody else cutting the cord or thinking about it?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Good, The Bad, and the Really, Really, Ugly
The good:
Mr. GV brought home a huge stack of journals, mail, and other papers from his mailbox at work. Included in the assortment were the course materials for a certificate program he took 15 years ago. He doesn't need the materials anymore, and I imagine with the way medicine moves they are out of date anyway.
From this notebook I salvaged:
-one huge 3-ring binder (will probably offer up on Freecycle, along with a couple others)
-21 dividers that can be reused or if no one wants them I will cut off the tab and use for scrap paper for me/art paper for my nephew
-322 sheets of paper that are only printed on one side so will go next to my printer to be reused for just about everything. (I just printed out my 2011 mortgage interest statement on a used piece of paper. I don't think my accountant is going to mind!)
-And best of all, only 3 sheets of paper are going into the recycling bin, because they were printed on both sides.
The bad:
Below you see the stack of professional journals, along with a few paper envelopes and medical updates that are sent to Mr. GV at work. He, along with (dare I say it?) the bulk of medical professionals, never look at these journals. In my opinion, these particular ones are more like magazines. They contain ads every few pages (54 total pages in one, 27 which are ads, and 95/44 in a second one, if you include half-page ads with text on the same page.) Most people in Mr. GV's department throw them into the trash. I told him today if he wanted to let his coworkers know, I would be happy to recycle their copies too.
The ugly:
The plastic bag that comes with almost every single "journal." This is ridiculous. Sometimes they are including a second supplement with the first, but the majority are ads for more products!
I have both emailed and sent back response cards asking to please take Mr. GV off their mailing list, but one company in particular simply will not do it.
I have looked online and cannot find a definitive answer as to whether or not this plastic can be recycled, and there is no recycle number on the bags. So for now, I will be throwing this in the trash, into the landfill, where it will pollute this planet for as long as any of us can fathom. Remember---plastic never actually goes away. It will eventually break down into smaller particles, but it's never actually "gone."
And so, even though I'm happy to reuse and recycle, what I'd most like to have done here is REFUSE. And I can't, and that makes this a definite "ugly."
Mr. GV brought home a huge stack of journals, mail, and other papers from his mailbox at work. Included in the assortment were the course materials for a certificate program he took 15 years ago. He doesn't need the materials anymore, and I imagine with the way medicine moves they are out of date anyway.
From this notebook I salvaged:
-one huge 3-ring binder (will probably offer up on Freecycle, along with a couple others)
-21 dividers that can be reused or if no one wants them I will cut off the tab and use for scrap paper for me/art paper for my nephew
-322 sheets of paper that are only printed on one side so will go next to my printer to be reused for just about everything. (I just printed out my 2011 mortgage interest statement on a used piece of paper. I don't think my accountant is going to mind!)
-And best of all, only 3 sheets of paper are going into the recycling bin, because they were printed on both sides.
Below you see the stack of professional journals, along with a few paper envelopes and medical updates that are sent to Mr. GV at work. He, along with (dare I say it?) the bulk of medical professionals, never look at these journals. In my opinion, these particular ones are more like magazines. They contain ads every few pages (54 total pages in one, 27 which are ads, and 95/44 in a second one, if you include half-page ads with text on the same page.) Most people in Mr. GV's department throw them into the trash. I told him today if he wanted to let his coworkers know, I would be happy to recycle their copies too.
The plastic bag that comes with almost every single "journal." This is ridiculous. Sometimes they are including a second supplement with the first, but the majority are ads for more products!
I have both emailed and sent back response cards asking to please take Mr. GV off their mailing list, but one company in particular simply will not do it.
I have looked online and cannot find a definitive answer as to whether or not this plastic can be recycled, and there is no recycle number on the bags. So for now, I will be throwing this in the trash, into the landfill, where it will pollute this planet for as long as any of us can fathom. Remember---plastic never actually goes away. It will eventually break down into smaller particles, but it's never actually "gone."
And so, even though I'm happy to reuse and recycle, what I'd most like to have done here is REFUSE. And I can't, and that makes this a definite "ugly."
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The little things
A few little things I've been doing recently, green-wise:
Mr. GV attends continuing education every year, and that always means a lot of paper. Two full binders of paper, as a matter of fact. All things that he will never reference again. There are a few sheets that are blank on one side, and they are pulled out and put beside our printer. We don't do a lot of printing in this house, but there are coupons and a few other things, and I use those papers.
The pages in this picture are all printed on both sides, and there wasn't much I could do with those, so they have gone to the recycling facility.
Mr. GV went through the items hanging up in his closet that he hasn't worn in the past 6 months. He managed to let loose of these 6 shirts, plus one more that I am going to keep for myself, to wear around the house. I'm proud of these 6 that will be leaving our house soon, because it is tough for Mr. GV to let go of things, and I sincerely appreciate it when he does. These shirts will be headed to Goodwill in the next couple of weeks.
I had stopped using dryer sheets for a couple of years, but the static is just terrible in the winter. I found 2 boxes of dryer sheets in my laundry closet, and cut the sheets all in thirds. That is enough to keep the static down, and as a bonus, one box will last three times as long!
(Dark picture--sorry about that.) I buy conditioner that comes in a plastic bottle. Is there any other kind? I have to be honest--I have finally found a vegan conditioner that makes me happy, so I haven't bothered to check to see if they sell conditioner in a container other than plastic.
Lately I've been cutting the bottles open and using a spatula to get the last bit out before recycling the bottes. The amount I got out of 2 bottles was enough to do my 'prone to super-tangles' hair a couple of times.
As I was putting my Christmas decorations back into their tubs for another 11 months, I pulled out a few pieces of which I don't have any sort of attachment. This includes a stocking I was given when I held a volunteer position, a small Beanie, 3 candle holders (minus one glass that broke), and some bud vases. I will admit that I am waffling about the vases though, as I kinda love them. They may not make it to the thrift store, but the rest certainly will.
I'm not sure if you can really see how big this bag is, but that's a wide doorway between my dining room and kitchen. There is some heavy-duty bubble wrap in there, the likes of which I have never seen before. It came with our new microwave, and is extremely sturdy. The rest of the bag is filled with regular bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and air pockets.
A few months ago I offered up some bubble wrap and packing peanuts on Freecycle, and the owner of a local used bookstore took them, as they use it all in shipping books and handcrafted wooden items that her husband makes. I save it up, and whenever I get an assortment together, I take it by.
All on their own, these little things don't seem like very much, but when you add them all together, you can see what a boost the environment is getting from recycling and reusing. Of course the VERY BEST thing to do is Refuse! Refuse that plastic bag, refuse to buy that dust collector, etc. But sometimes we made poor choices in our past, we have no choice in the matter, or darn it--we just don't want to change that one thing that we love so much!
Mr. GV attends continuing education every year, and that always means a lot of paper. Two full binders of paper, as a matter of fact. All things that he will never reference again. There are a few sheets that are blank on one side, and they are pulled out and put beside our printer. We don't do a lot of printing in this house, but there are coupons and a few other things, and I use those papers.
The pages in this picture are all printed on both sides, and there wasn't much I could do with those, so they have gone to the recycling facility.
Mr. GV went through the items hanging up in his closet that he hasn't worn in the past 6 months. He managed to let loose of these 6 shirts, plus one more that I am going to keep for myself, to wear around the house. I'm proud of these 6 that will be leaving our house soon, because it is tough for Mr. GV to let go of things, and I sincerely appreciate it when he does. These shirts will be headed to Goodwill in the next couple of weeks.
I had stopped using dryer sheets for a couple of years, but the static is just terrible in the winter. I found 2 boxes of dryer sheets in my laundry closet, and cut the sheets all in thirds. That is enough to keep the static down, and as a bonus, one box will last three times as long!
(Dark picture--sorry about that.) I buy conditioner that comes in a plastic bottle. Is there any other kind? I have to be honest--I have finally found a vegan conditioner that makes me happy, so I haven't bothered to check to see if they sell conditioner in a container other than plastic.
Lately I've been cutting the bottles open and using a spatula to get the last bit out before recycling the bottes. The amount I got out of 2 bottles was enough to do my 'prone to super-tangles' hair a couple of times.
As I was putting my Christmas decorations back into their tubs for another 11 months, I pulled out a few pieces of which I don't have any sort of attachment. This includes a stocking I was given when I held a volunteer position, a small Beanie, 3 candle holders (minus one glass that broke), and some bud vases. I will admit that I am waffling about the vases though, as I kinda love them. They may not make it to the thrift store, but the rest certainly will.
I'm not sure if you can really see how big this bag is, but that's a wide doorway between my dining room and kitchen. There is some heavy-duty bubble wrap in there, the likes of which I have never seen before. It came with our new microwave, and is extremely sturdy. The rest of the bag is filled with regular bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and air pockets.
A few months ago I offered up some bubble wrap and packing peanuts on Freecycle, and the owner of a local used bookstore took them, as they use it all in shipping books and handcrafted wooden items that her husband makes. I save it up, and whenever I get an assortment together, I take it by.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
New Year's Day was a lazy day for some of us.
Unfortunately Mom had to go to work. Mr. GV, middle sister, and I just hung around the house for the most part. Eventually Mr. GV and I went to visit his parents.
Later we had a traditional meal of blackeyed peas, cornbread, and greens. Notice there are no collards on my plate. That's my New Year's tradition---refusing to eat the greens! I did have some okra (green--does that count?) and a riblet.
Unfortunately Mom had to go to work. Mr. GV, middle sister, and I just hung around the house for the most part. Eventually Mr. GV and I went to visit his parents.
Later we had a traditional meal of blackeyed peas, cornbread, and greens. Notice there are no collards on my plate. That's my New Year's tradition---refusing to eat the greens! I did have some okra (green--does that count?) and a riblet.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
New Year's Eve 2011
New Year's Eve we had our second annual game night with Mr. GV's brother and his family.
Casper and Macy, as you can see, were really into it.
The cats were similarly enthused. This makes me think of the Princess...er....the Prince and the Pea.
Nephew and my mom giving clues with Pictionary.
Nephew and ESIL (Essentially Sister-in-Law) preparing to battle it out.
The men, going up against the women in "Battle of the Sexes."
Mom is just a tad bit competative....this is her "SCORE!" move.
Casper and Macy, as you can see, were really into it.
The cats were similarly enthused. This makes me think of the Princess...er....the Prince and the Pea.
Nephew and my mom giving clues with Pictionary.
Nephew and ESIL (Essentially Sister-in-Law) preparing to battle it out.
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