Fall is coming...so much to do!

I must admit this has been a long summer, one I have not balanced well.  I had not anticipated the difficulty of balancing full time employment, full time school, and full time single mommy duties.  By the looks of it, my blog and my home has suffered massive neglect!!! Yikes!!

 

I am ready for much cooler weather, and some much needed projects to be accomplished.  I am up for a promotion at work that will allow for some funds to go to more things other than bills...YEAH!!!! 

 

I have a rather long list of TO-DO's growing and I am attempting to decide which receive top priority.  Let us just say the top ten things to do keep rotating on the list depending on my mood or wants.

 

One of the many things I want to complete is a rather long planter bench.  I have a covered porch that is about 20 feet long and I want a planter bench to run the length of the porch separating the yard with the porch.  I just cannot decide on what kind.

There it is my porch...ignore the surroundings.  I know, I know what a sad looking back yard.  I have done nothing to it.  I have had high hopes for it when I moved in...well life got in the way, things happened.  Things are looking better and soon my yard will too.
 

See where my porch ends then there is a no-mans land running end to end then the curb edge where my "grass" would be if I believed in planting grass in a desert.  I have not found a ground cover that withstands kids and dogs yet.  Anyway that 3' x 20' no-mans land is where I want the planter bench to live.





I want to use as little virgin material as possible by using eco-friendly, recycled products instead like products by design recycle inc timber or Turn Green Solutions NuChoob Timber.  Both companies use recycled material to produce timber like products.  However I love the look of brick and cement too.  That maybe a bit more challenging to find eco-friendly versions of brick or cement.  I have not looked into it yet.  Here are some different designs I am tossing around.

via belson.com

 

via keeping it simple crafts

 

via masonjar champagne

 

via chiefs shop

 

via hendon creation

 

 

 

What are your thoughts?  Have you created your own planter benches?  Let me know because this girl needs to get her backyard in order!!

 

~Deanne



yummy bread and muffins

Waste not want not....an old proverb meaning if we waste less we will want less.  Sounds good to me! Less I have to buy (hahahaha).

Any who, me and my son have been juicing on and off for a few months.  So we have been saving the pulp from the fruit and the vegetables we have juiced instead of composting the pulp.  Why you ask?  Let me tell you!  The pulp would be a great addition to the compost but I thought how great it would be inside recipes.   When we juice we would make sure to save the fruit pulp separate from the vegetable pulp because certain recipes would not taste that well with the mixture if they were combined.  I use the fruit pulp in baking recipes and the vegetable recipes in some bread recipes but mostly in savory recipes like soups.  I have been freezing the pulp in quart size bags because I ran out of my freezer safe mason jars.  They will keep in the freezer for several months to use in recipes later.

This weekend for Earth Day we decided to use some of that fruit pulp for bread and muffins, since our budget was a little binding we did not make it to some Earth Day events. 

*This recipe is vegan, if you prefer a traditional recipe I put substitutions below the directions.

muffin or bread recipe

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional if using veggie pulp)
• 2 tsp nutmeg (optional if using veggie pulp)
• 2 2/3 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups pulp of fruit or veggie

this recipe makes one loaf of bread or 24 regular size muffins

bake at 350 degrees 25 to 45 minutes or until knife pulls clean from center.  If making muffins it will cook faster so check center earlier whereas bread takes a bit longer hence the range in cooking time.

do not over mix ingredients

mix the cornstarch in a separate bowl with the water to ensure the cornstarch has no lumps and is well mixed then put in with wet ingredients.

I mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl first while my food processor/blender mixed all the wet ingredients.  I use the blender because I really wanted the pulp to be mashed and blended. 

Substitutions: if you are into non-vegan stuff that is...

• 2 eggs in place of the cornstarch
• honey instead of agave nectar
• dairy instead of soy milk or almond milk

 oops there was once 24....hmmm

I use parchment paper to line the pan to make it easier to remove the bread.

This is the pulp I used from my juicing.  Defrost, put in blender/food processor to break it down and mash it up. Oh so good....

Next bread and/or muffins, something savory with pulp from the veggies I used from juicing.  I have a mixture of celery, kale, licorice root, broccoli, spinach....hmmm what to make?

What suggestions do you have for a recipe with veggie pulp?  Send me some ideas I would love to try them.

~Deanne