Cooking - 13 ways to cook efficiently in the winter

In a previous post (Cool Summer Cooking), we talked about ways to cook without heating up the house ... and using a lot of energy. Now with cooler temperatures arriving, cooking in the oven and on the stove is much more agreeable (ahhh ... the heat coming from the kitchen is just about as comforting as the delicious smells and tastes).

Can we cook efficiently in the winter?? Well sure! Here are some ideas:

1. Don't preheat the oven before use.
   

2. Plan ahead to maximize the oven heat ... cook more than one item at a time. If that won't work for you, have the second item ready to pop into the oven the very second the first one is done.
   

3. Turn off the oven about 15-20 minutes before the end of cooking time. The leftover heat in the oven will finish the job.

4. Resist the temptation to open the oven door to check on food while it’s cooking. Each time you open it, 25 percent of the oven’s heat is wasted.

5. Once cooking in the oven is complete, open the oven door and let the remaining heat escape into the house ... it'll warm things up without using the home's heating system.

6. Steam foods instead of boiling. Not only does it save energy, it's healthier.
   

7. Use a lid ... saucepans with their lids on heat much quicker, using less energy to cook food.
   

8. Be sure that the pan fits the burner. You'll use much less energy than you would with a mismatched burner and pan.
   

9. Turn your stove down to a simmer as soon as food or water begins to boil. This setting maintains cooking temperature, cooks food more evenly and saves energy.

10. Use a microwave for cooking instead of the oven or stove. Microwave ovens draw less than one-half the power of a conventional oven and foods cook in about one-fourth the time, greatly reducing cooking costs.

11. Pressure cookers and steamers are both energy efficient ... they are also healthy ways of cooking.

12. Use a toaster for making toast rather than the oven's broiler – it uses much less energy.

13. If you're into stews, curries and soups, try a slow cooking Crockpot.

Happy "Efficient" Cooking!

And now for something completely different ...

We've reduced, reused and recycled all week. We've read labels and tried to make the right, Eco-friendly choices. We've hauled our reusable bags ... everywhere. So ... I think it's time for a treat, don't you? I hope you enjoy this!!





Wasn't that great?

As always ... I'd love to hear from you!

To your health ...

It used to be that we could take a cool drink from a stream or river ... now they tell us that the water is contaminated.

We used to be able to eat the produce from a grocery store without worry ... now they tell us to know where it came from and wash it thoroughly before eating. Sometimes they tell us not to eat it at all.

When I was a child, I used to hunt for mushrooms with my Grandfather ... now they tell us to not only be aware of poisonous varieties but to know what the soil, in which edible mushrooms grow in, was previously used for. If it was used, for example, as an apple orchard which employed pesticides and chemicals (a common practice in apple orchards), the mushrooms are ... and will be ... highly toxic long after any evidence of the orchard remains.

I recently read an article which said that people exposed to chemical toxins have a significantly higher risk of breast cancer. And how does one get exposed to these chemical toxins? Through beauty products, household cleaners, pesticides on our food and in our water, and pollution in the air we breathe. It was once believed that a small amount of these toxins wouldn't hurt people. Now they know that small amounts of toxins join together to create big problems in the human body.

This is dire!

But is it hopeless? I don't think so.

While reading articles in Delphi Forums (Living Green and Natural), I chatted with a woman who has improved the quality of her own, as well as her family's, health through adopting a green lifestyle. Here, in her words, is her story:

"I have two kids with autoimmune problems and find that "green and natural" means that they can live active lives. Both of them were diagnosed with asthma very early. Dd was diagnosed with a classic case of fibromyalgia at the age of 10. We treated with traditional doctors until she was 16 and the answers just weren't there and she was getting worse. Meanwhile, my son's asthma was getting worse and he was having emotional meltdowns at the slightest provocation.

At 16 we started down the path of alternative medicine, starting with a holistic D.O. who diagnosed both of them with severe food allergies. Dd's biggest was corn and Ds' was soy. The got some better, but were still on tons of meds. Dd for sleep, and Ds was taking 5 things for his asthma with still a very low peak flow.

At 18, after researching, I took a shot with an applied kinesiologist in town. Dr. B. did a complete AK work up, including testing for allergies. We started taking her regularly for AK treatments, following the diet plans, supplements and environmental changes that were given. A few months later, we added my son to the protocols. Both have steadily gotten better, but it has been the hardest for dd. For her, we added Neuro-Emotional Technique and Emotional Freedom Technique. Slowly, but surely, this year, after over 3 years, she has gotten a lot better. Ds is on occasional albuterol for rare flares. Both stay on the diet because they both feel so much better.

1 1/2 years ago, dh went out of curiosity and it changed his life. Suffering from depression for years, it has given him a quality of life that I could have only dreamed of. Shortly after that, I had a severe gall bladder attack and was scheduled for surgery. Our AK doctor told me that she would do a work up on me for free if I would delay the surgery. Long story short, I dropped almost 70 pounds and still have my gall bladder. My Hashimoto's thyroiditis is no more! I feel much better than I have in a very long time.

Not an easy solution, AK, but one that all of us can live with. Even my skeptical husband tows the line on the green living! Never thot I'd see that!

You can check out AK at www.icak.com and www.appliedkinesiology.com/. As my husband says, looks like voodoo, works like magic!"

At this point, I wanted to know more and asked what specific "green living" things she incorporated into her life.

"Most of my family is allergic to many chemicals and especially artificial fragrances, so they are gone, along with many "normal" products--most cosmetics, cleaning products, bath and body products, laundry products--you get the idea! As I studied what to replace the "normal" products with, I learned that those kinds of products are generally not good for the environment. We now use a lot of vinegar, baking soda and the like for cleaning here. I even got allergic to 7th Generation cleaners and had to stop. My make up is from www.signatureminerals.com and very clean. I use Avalon shampoos and conditioners. I use Trader Joe's hand soap. All without harsh chemicals and fragrances. It's harder and more expensive, but so worth it. We all feel better.

Foodwise, we just don't eat processed products because of the allergies and when I learned about how "nutritious" the processed stuff was, I didn't want it anymore. We buy most of our stuff organic in bulk and use it. We use reusable grocery bags most of the time. My husband noted that our recycle pile is a lot bigger and the outgoing trash is a lot smaller!

So, for us, doing what we had to started us down a path of cleaner living. We don't use chemicals on the lawn (I'm sure the neighbors are complaining at our natural turf! lol) or pesticides other than boric acid when we get infested. It happens a lot less than one might think!

It has been a very long, hard road! Worth it, tho when you consider where my kids would have been if we'd stayed where we were!

Now that I think about it--living green makes good sense and is contagious to all areas of life. Once you see that one thing is "out of whack" and causing your health to go, it spreads to other areas that are also "out of whack" and everything gets better. It seems to be the way God really designed us to live and that the consequences of not living clean are becoming more apparent in the peoples of the world."

So ... every time we reduce our use of chemicals, recycle, buy organic or "go green" ... we not only help the earth ... we help ourselves.

Here's to your health!