Hawaiian Cocktail

One of the best parts of a Hawaiian vacation is the views.  Absolutely breathtaking!

Another perk is the delicious drinks.  An ice-cold drink is a great refresher while you're soaking up the sun.  Of course, you don't have to be in Hawaii to enjoy a tropical drink.

I created this drink as part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemakers Program.  I was contacted and asked to create a drink using Sweet'N Low.  I searched some other blogs for inspiration, but struggled to find a drink that really looked good to me.  I decided to combine various aspects of other drinks, combinations of my favorites, into a delicous tropical drink.  I really liked using Sweet'N Low as a sugar substitute because it does not leave an aftertaste, and it doesn't add many calories to this drink.  Mike and I both enjoyed this and I think you will too!

Hawaiian Cocktail

Serves 2

2 ounces Vodka
2 ounces Triple Sec
2 ounces Coconut Rum
4 ounces Pineapple Juice (Unsweetened)
1 packet Sweet'N Low
1/2 ounce Lime Juice
2 cups diet Sprite

1.  In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, triple sec, coconut rum, pineapple juice, Sweet'N Low, and lime juice.

2.  Divide the mixture evenly between 2 tall glasses. 

3.  Pour Sprite over the alcohol mixture.

4.  Add ice and a lime garnish, if desired, before serving.

As part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker Program, I received Sweet'N Low samples and a stipend.

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

One of Mike's absolulte favorite potato dishes is cheesy potatoes.  Every time we have a family gathering, he asks who is bringing the cheesy potatoes!  He was thrilled on the day after Thanksgiving when someone unexpectedly brought cheesy potatoes to the family potluck. 

When I received an offer to try Simply Potatoes potato products through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program, I knew I would have to create a version of cheesy potatoes for my husband.  I added in some ranch flavor to kick it up and notch, along with one of his favorite foods--bacon. We both really enjoyed this recipe.  It was simple to put together and made enough for us to enjoy at two meals.

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Serves 4-6

You will need:

1 bag Simply Potatoes Hash Browns

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 (1 ounce) packet ranch dressing mix

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus some for topping

1/4 cup bacon pieces

1.  In a medium bowl combine hash browns, heavy cream, dressing mix, cheddar cheese, and bacon pieces.

2.  Place in a greased 8x8" pan.

3.  Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

4.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until bubbly.

I received coupons to try Simply Potatoes Products as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

One Bag Event

We did it!  We hosted a fiesta for our couples' group from church and generated less than half a bag of trash!

As I prepared for the party, I kept in mind that the goal was to create a minimal amount of trash.  With that in mind, I planned a menu with fresh items that could be composted and other items bought in bulk.  Here's what we ate:

Tacos with fresh toppings, stuffed jalapenos, tortilla chips and salsa, churros, and un-fried fried ice-cream (not pictured)!

And you can't go Mexican without imported Mexican beer (in recyclable bottles) and Margaritas (in reusable glasses)!  We also used real dishes and silverware.

Side note:  I do apologize for the quality of the pictures, I was in a hurry as our guests were arriving!  I didn't think to take pictures of us enjoying the food either, I was too busy eating!

I was able to compost the seeds and some stems from the jalapeno peppers, the stems from the tomatoes, and the unedible parts of the lettuce.  I recycled the box from the ice-cream and bag from the flour.  The only things I had to throw away were the styrofoam containers from the ground beef and a few other small items. 

Of course you can't have a fiesta without a pinata! Don't worry, the pinata was made out of cardboard so I was able to recycle it as well!

I would say our party was a huge success! 

We've learned a lot from this past month's adventure.  How have you put what you've learned the past few weeks into practice with your family?

As part of the Glad Brand Ambassador Program through Foodbuzz, I received Glad products, a trash can/recycling bin, a composting bin, and a stipend to cover my expenses. Even though I was compensated for these posts, the opinions contained in the post are all my own.

The 3 R's

We all learned them in elementary school...Reading, wRiting, and 'Rithmetic, right?  Well how about the other 3 very important R's?  Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  Today we'll talk about those 3.  When I was in school, we focused on the latter group of 3 R's around Earth Day, in March.  However, that was only one day a year, and unfortunately the lessons weren't always put into action.

Do you know how easy it really is to Reduce the waste you make, Reuse products (to reduce waste), and Recycle?  It won't add a lot of work into your busy schedule and there are so many products out there to make it easy for us to help our environment.  For instance, check out this trash can I received from the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program!  From the outside, it may look like a regular trash can, but on the inside, it's so much more.


Outside



Inside

This trash can is split down the middle, one half is for recyclable items and the other half is for waste products.  It makes it so simple to put things in the recycle bin rather than taking the easy way out and throwing it away!  Plus, this bin is super neat because it has a motion sensor so I can throw things away without making a mess.

Another way I reduce the waste we generate is to reuse products like Cool Whip and Margarine containers.  Instead of recycling them (or worse...throwing them away!), I wash the empty containers out and use them for other foods.  They are great for packing food in Mike's lunch, storing leftovers, and freezing items.  I also reuse plastic Ziploc bags, they typically don't get ruined after one use so we'll wash them out, let them dry, and use them again.

Something new to me is composting.  Growing up, my grandparents always had a compost bin.  They had two containers under the sink, one for trash and the other for compost.  They had a compost bin behind their house that they used for their garden.  Now that I have my own garden, I'm trying to keep it organic, and using compost is a great way to achieve that.  I got a great compost bin from Foodbuzz, and I keep it under my sink.  It's actually sold by Gaiam and I love it because it has a filter to prevent the items from making my kitchen stink. 

I put all my peels, leftovers from fresh fruits and veggies, and crushed egg shells in my bin.  Basically, you can compost anything that comes from the ground, but no meats or anything covered in fat.  Then I take it outside and add it to my large compost bin.  I learned that it's important to add some "brown" material to the "green" matter.  That is, you should mix in some leaves or grass clippings (browns) with the fresh items (greens) that you are adding to your compost.  I'll mix it up once a week or so and come next spring, I'll have a great fertilizer for my garden!

What about you?  What ways do you reduce your amount of waste?  What do you reuse?  Do you compost?

As part of the Glad Brand Ambassador Program through Foodbuzz, I received Glad products, a trash can/recycling bin, a composting bin, and a stipend to cover my expenses. Even though I was compensated for these posts, the opinions contained in the post are all my own.

Preparing for a Party

As a member of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers community, I have been chosen to take part in The GLAD Products Company's challenge to reduce landfill waste.  Each week through-out September, I'll be sharing with you what I've learned as I take part in this challenge.  Along the way we'll talk about what I've learned after speaking with a Waste Management Expert, how the goal of creating less waste affected how I prepared for a party, how to incorporate my learnings into your everyday life, and how successful my one bag party was.

One of the goals of this challenge is to host a One Bag party and only create one bag of landfill-bound waste.  I'll be sharing my preparations with you and I really hope that you can use some of what you learn to reduce the waste your family generates.

Earlier this week I had an opportunity to speak with Keiko, a Waste Management Expert. She offered a lot of insight into how to plan a party while reducing waste and then how to incorporate that into everyday living. A lot of what we talked about really makes sense, some of it was basic common sense while other topics were newer to me.  Here are some ways you can prepare for a party while keeping the amount of waste created minimal.  You can incorporate these ideas into your everyday life too, not just party planning!


*As you prepare for a party, you probably send out invitations.  Typically these are in some form of postcard or a cute little card sent in the mail.  However, this also creates mail waste.  After receiving their invitation, people often throw both the postcard, or card and envelope in the trash.  (Though hopefully they do choose to recycle instead!)  One way to reduce waste before your party even starts is to send e-invites.  There are many websites that allow you to send e-cards, you can send a quick email, or even create a Facebook event (which I did).

Source

 *Remember to ask for RSVPs from your guests.  This will also help decrease waste as you won't prepare for 50 people at your party and only have 30 show up. 

*When you go shopping to buy items for your event, keep in mind that you want to reduce waste:

-Look for items that have minimal packaging.  How much of the package can be recycled instead of thrown away?  Avoid products that have excessive packaging such as a styrofoam interior wrapped in a plastic bag and then in a box.

-Buy produce.  This is especially good if you can purchase from your farmer's market!  Produce=no waste!

 -Buy items in bulk.  You create less waste with one large bag of potato chips versus three smaller ones.

-Avoid individual servings.  Try a punch bowl or even 2 Liters of pop instead of juice pouches or pop cans.

-Use real dishes and silverware instead of paper plates and plastic utensils.  If you don't have enough place settings, look into renting (it's relatively cheap and some places will even wash the dishes for you!), borrowing, or buying items at a thrift shop.

 *Try not to buy decorations.  Instead, re-use items you already have, borrow from a friend, or make something from items you already have on hand.  If you do buy something, try to find decorations you can reuse.

I'm looking forward to incorporating these ideas into my One Bag party as well as future parties I host.  Do you have any more suggestions for how to reduce waste at a party?


As part of the Glad Brand Ambassador Program through Foodbuzz, I received Glad products, a trash can/recycling bin, a composting bin, and a stipend to cover my expenses. Even though I was compensated for these posts, the opinions contained in the post are all my own. 

Grilled Flatbread

On Wednesday I posted a recipe for Herbed Dipping Oil and I promised that I would be sharing a recipe for the flatbread I made to dip in the oil.  I used my basic pizza dough to make the flatbreads.  Then I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled garlic salt on top.  I think I could live off of the flatbread--there are so many possibilities for it.  You can cut it up and dip it in Herbed Dipping Oil like I did, cut it in half and make a sandwich out of it, or roll it up and make a wrap.  Any way you eat it, it's guaranteed to be delicious!

Grilled Flatbread

Makes 4 large flatbreads

2-1/4 teaspoons yeast
1-3/8 cups water, 110 degrees
4 Tablespoons light olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons garlic salt

1.  Sprinkle yeast into a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and pour water over it.  Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes, until yeast begins to bubble.

2.  Stir in 3 Tablespoons light olive oil, salt, and flour and mix until a dough forms.

3.  Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes by hand.  You can also use your stand mixer, it will take about 6 minutes.

4. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1.5 to 2 hours.*

5. Deflate dough by punching down and knead for about 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest before dividing it into 4 pieces.

6.  Place the dough on a floured surface and form the flatbread.  Remember that you're grilling the flatbread, so you don't wait it to be so thin it will burn right away or so large that you can't easily move it.  

7.  Drizzle light olive oil over each flatbread and sprinkle with garlic salt.

8.  Place on heated grill (about 350 degrees), greased with Pure Olive Oil, and grill for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Detailed instructions can be found here. If you prefer not to grill, you could also bake the flatbread in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

9.  Remove from grill and cut into bite-sized pieces with a pizza cutter.  Serve warm, with Herbed Dipping Oil. 

*I would like to note here that after the dough has risen I'll often put it in a ziploc bag and store it in the fridge for a few days (up to a month) before using it.  Mike and I both think the flavor is much better after the dough sits for a while.

Disclosure – As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Crisco Olive Oils to try with my family and write about it. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.