Penny-wise Wednesday: Save money with a windowsill herb garden!

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An indoor windowsill herb garden is just a pleasant thing. Not only does it allow you to add fresh, organic herbs to your food, but gardening and just being around plants is a stress reliever. Plus, plants add extra oxygen to your environment and purifies the air.

Using natural, non-toxic growing containers

You can use just about anything to grow your herbs in. You can use a container like the one to the left that has room for all of the herbs. (A homemade wooden box, or a rectangular recycled container would work well. Make sure the material is safe.) Or, you can use individual containers for each plant. BPA free cans would work really well, and I have always thought they look charming when they house elegant, fragrant herbs. :)

Practical growing tips

1. Choose a sunny windowsill that gets at least 5 hours of sun a day.
2. Buy herbs or seeds that are labeled organic. Trader Joe's often has plants, including herbs, at the front of their store. Whole Foods often has plants on the outside of their store, and seeds for sale inside. 
3. Blend indoor potting soil with sand to make it lighter and drain better. If you don't have a drainage system for your container, put a layer of rocks on the bottom so roots do not sit in excess water.
4. Feed soil with compost about once a month.
5. Water regularly. Don't let soil dry out, but don't water excessively. Remember those roots! :)
6.  If bugs attack, fight back with a little natural soap mixed in water, just a squirt of soap in a good sized spay bottle will do. Shake well, and spray plants. Watch plants for signs of too much soap exposure (turning brown, etc.) If this happens, use less soap.
7. Trim regularly. This encourages herbs to grow fuller. This part shouldn't be hard, since they are so tasty!

Have any tips you would like to share? Leave them in the comment section below! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Sources:
http://gardening.about.com/od/herbsspecificplants1/a/Herb_Gardens_2.htm
http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/ht/window_herbs.htm
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/indoor-herbs-growing-guide?page=0,2
And personal experience! :)

Penny-wise Wednesday: How to save money when buying organic food

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I really believe that organic food is so much healthier than the alternative. (Read the benefits here.)I certainly do not want to have food in my kitchen with pesticide residue, and I choose not to eat genetically modified foods. That being said, organic food does indeed tend to cost more. So here are some tips on how to save on organic foods! :)

1. For packaged organic foods, visit the company website. You will often find a coupon there. If not, signing up for the newsletter or liking them on Facebook or Twitter will almost surely get you a few coupons here or there. Alternately, you could email and ask them for coupons. 
2. Again for packaged organic foods, keep an eye out for coupons in the coupon section of your local newspaper. You can also browse online coupon sites, such as Cool Savings. Or you could simply type the brand name and the word coupon in your favorite search engine and see what comes up.
3. Plant your own fruits and vegetables. Click here for tips on natural pest control for your garden.
4. Buy organic fruits and veggies in season from your favorite grocery store or local farmer's market. Produce that is in season always costs less. Some farms will even let you come by and pick and buy from them personally.
5. Buy frozen organic produce. Frozen often costs less than fresh, especially when the item is not in season. And freezing locks in the nutrients, so the food is still nutritious.
6. And finally, if you have to buy some produce not organic, the following ones are likely to have the least amount of pesticide residue: asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, kiwi, mangoes, papayas, onions, pineapples.

Leave your ideas on saving money on organic food in the comment section below! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Source:
"Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables You Should Buy Organic - Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables." Gourmet Food - Fine Cooking, Recipes, Techniques, Reviews, Celebrity Chefs, and more. Web. 19 Feb. 2010.

Penny-wise Wednesday: Save money and eat healthier with dried beans!

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Dried beans really are a menu money saver. One 16 ounce bag of dried beans will yeild the same amount as 4 cans of prepared beans- not to mention cost you 1/4^th less!

The Many Ways to Use Beans

Beans can be used to add additional nutrition and a more substantial feeling to many meals. Some of my favorite recipes using beans are: black bean burgers, chili, black bean soup, baked bean 'burgers', vegetable soup, and lentil soup.

Beans can be added to salads, stir fries, and used as a base for sauces. Adzuki beans are cooked with brown sugar in Japan as a dessert, and there is an adzuki bean ice cream available there as well. And let's not forget the ever popular black bean brownies (which I am planning to make!:).

Preparation

Beans should be properly prepped to optimize the available nutrition in them and to reduce stomach upset. After going through the dried beans and picking out debris, soak in warm water for 18 hours. If you are in a hurry, boil for one hour, change the water, then prepare as desired.

To find out more about beans, see Beans, beans, wonderful beans: how to prepare your favorite legume.

To learn more about reducing phytic acid in food, see How and why to reduce phytic acid in foods for better health.

Until next time... God bless!