A Bento box for your jars!

I am just fascinated with bento boxes and tiffins for carrying my lunches. Well The BNTO (pr. BENTO) Canning Jar Adaptor from CUPPOW turns any wide mouth canning jar into  two section lunchbox! I have been using a cuppow Mason Jar Commuter Mug for about a year, (dont worry, I still use Muggsly on a never ending basis) and love it, so I look forward to trying these smart little containers in my quest for a great lunch at work! And I am also thinking - what a great way to bring the dog's wet and dry food in the same container on trips!

DISCLAIMER:
I was not paid or reimburse in anyway for this product endorsement. Just like the product and thought I would share!

My Lunchbots... still going after all these years!

Lunchbots. Those wonderful stainless steel food carriers I found on Beth Terry's My Plastic Free Life (AKA Fake Plastic Fish) Blog a few years back. Sturdy little stainless steel containers that carry sandwiches, salad, snacks... and take a beating.

Now I find out they have a whole lot of new designs and carriers from the Quad (pictured above) to insulated soup carriers to snap lock leak proof Lunchbots. Better than a bento box for lunches, lasts longer than a tiffen set. I love these so much. And everyone at work marvels at their construction.

Empty Bowls 2013

Empty Bowls... One of my favorite benefits... If you happen to be in the area stop in for some great soup, great bowls and great people!

Click here to see if there is an Empty Bowls event near you!

"CUPPOW"

Ohhh Muggsly...  you are so jealous. Don't worry your still my number 1 go to mug. But sometimes you gotta add a new mug or in this case a Mason Jar. I recently bought and tried a "Cuppow" a new lid that turns an ordinary wide mouth Mason Jar into a clever commuter mug. BPA free and dishwasher safe, I am hoping for a good long life from Number 2.

DISCLAIMER:
I was not paid or reimburse in anyway for this product endorsement. Just like the product and thought I would share!

Dave's Killer Bread

If you have never tasted Dave's Killer Bread... I am so sorry. Nutty Seedy bread. My favorite way to use is breakfast- toast with peanut butter. My favorite DKB is Dave's Powerseed. bread. I never thought much about it. Until I saw a video telling Dave's story. Very moving.
The Story of Dave and his Killer Bread. Best bread you have ever tasted.

USING NEW SHARPIE STAIN FABRIC MARKERS

I saw on "How about orange" blog a while ago she got asked to try out New Sharpie Stain Fabric Markers. Rob did not get jealous. Rob ordered a set of markers. They came last week and what fun. On the canvas bag , they did not run or bleed. I can imagine a whole lot of things I could do with them. Hmmm.... maybe mark my underwear so I don't lose them at the next Blogger camp out.

Free Lens Cleaner!

Okay, so the packaging leaves a lot to be desired, but I recently bought a pair of glasses at Costco and came across this lens cleaner kit. 2 bottles of cleaner and a travel bottle, 2 clothes, and a handy 6 in 1 screwdriver tool. What I like is they are refillable bottles, and Costco Optical has a handy refill station right there.And the refills are free! Makes for a nice day! And while I was waiting for my new glasses, a gal sauntered up to the refill station and refilled her bottles. Well you know, skeptic that I am, I asked her how long she has been doing this- "about 3 years" she answered. So I was sold.

Good Things Green Things

I was reading the Greenists last week, and they had had a guest post from Andi, the owner of Good Things Green Things. She was telling the story of Audri who was diagnosed with Embryonic Rhabdomyosarcoma a very aggressive form of soft tissue cancer, and it requires very aggressive treatment as well.

So that's where I got the cool little candles, some home made soap and a home made kitty toy for Sammy Kat. Hey Christmas is coming! Turns out that this month at Good Things Green Things, it’s all about Audri. September 1st through the 30th, they are donating 50% of candles sales and 25% of all other sales to Audri’s charity- www.ladybughugs.org. Once more the entire order came shipped in eco friendly packaging.

So do some early Christmas shopping and help out a kid. A Twofer. Now that's what I am talking about!

One more thing!

I just had to show you all one more thing from the Garden show:
This box trellis at the entrance of the NW Flower and Garden show was one of my fave things. A good use for all those worn out yard tools,
Okay a couple of things: I picked up this little Sax Playing frog to keep Doug the fiddler player company. I keep it up, someday I will have a complete Frog Band.:

One of my Favorite things- "Cheap Like Me" Oatmeal

Do you read the "Cheap Like me" Blog? If so you know she has a lot of great things for the more frugally minded (cheapskates). A lot of things she writes about are great. But one of the best things I have found on that blog is her version of an Instant Oatmeal recipe. Cheaper than store bought instant Oatmeal, It taste just as good, and is just as easy to make. I keep mine in a container used for little Beef sticks (don't look at me like that- I won it in a raffle- and they were tasty). I wondered how I was going to recycle that jar! Around my house, my favorite breakfast is known as "Cheap Like Me Oatmeal. I eat it almost everyday! Anyway here is the recipe

"Cheap Like Me" Instant Oatmeal
6 cups rolled oats, divided use
1/2-1 cup light brown sugar (or to taste)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Generous pinch table salt
1 cup powdered milk (optional)
Process 2 cups oats to a powder, then set aside in a bowl large enough to hold all 6 cups. Combine 4 cups of oats with remaining ingredients except powdered milk and process in two batches with two or three 1-second pulses, just so oats are slightly broken. Add to bowl with powdered oats. Add powdered milk. Stir or shake it up.
(Rob's Note; I don't add the powdered milk to the recipe: I use real milk when it is made- just a personal preference)
To serve, place about 1/2 to 1 cup of oatmeal in a bowl and stir in enough boiling water to get the consistency you desire (it may need a minute to thicken). Add any fruit, nuts, maple syrup or other flavorings you want.

A new favorite thing!

My latest favorite thing is something called Dryer Balls. They are these cool little spiny balls that have obvious benefits- no dryer sheets needed, no fabric softener(not that I use either of those). But I discovered a Bonus benefit- They actually cut down my drying time by 10- 15 minutes. I have heard you can put two tennis balls in the dryer and get the same effect, but hell I don't play tennis and Romeo wouldn't give up one of his tennis balls- (just mentioning taking one of Romi's balls is sensitve- he still remembers the "snip" incident with the Vet I suppose), so I can get my own balls for the dryer. Besides Romeo slobber on my fresh laundry? Blech. I also have read where you can make your own wool dryer balls. Wouldn't know how to felt them. So, anyway I bought the dryer balls at Ace for about $10, and they seem to work, and like I say- 10 to 15 minutes less dryer time per load is pretty cool!The electric bill saving will pay for those balls in no time! And yes I know that line drying is cheaper and better, but this is the rainy Northwest and often not an option. I suppose I could put up a line or get a dryer rack in the garage. But if I am going to use my dryer, I might as well use it less I say!

"Scuse me- you look just like my Milk Man"

I haven't heard that since I was a little kid.

Since the city muthas (my term for The City Council) wont let me keep a goat or two or a cow in my back yard, I have resorted to Milk Delivery. Locally produced hormone free milk from local happy cows. You see the Smith Brothers Dairy, a local milk dairy, delivers milk to my doorstep, along with other products that I use and like. Saves me those last minute trips out the door as well. And I figure since Marty, my milk man is going down the road anyway (he delivers to the school up the street) He may as well stop in here on the way. Along with milk I can get get Tillamook Cheddar Cheese(Made in Tillamook Oregon), butter, local free range organic eggs, Coffee (Tully’s, another local company), yogurt and butter. I was raised on Smith Brothers Milk Delivery as a kid- glad to see they deliver to my address.
Now, if I could get my morning coffee delivered to me, with a danish...Hmmmm....

Do they still have Milk Delivery in your Area? Do you use it?

Ode To My Favorite Mug

Rob in love? with a Coffee Mug? Kinky? No. My stainless steel commuter mug thaat I have had going on ten or so years is on of my favorite things. I even nicknamed it Muggsly. Still in use. And since I drink countless cups of java, I would say that it has probably been responnsible for at least over a 1000 disposable cups per year (estimate based on 3 disposable cups per day) or 10,000 cups in its lifetime,That makes it sexy-No? I thought I lost it once and was very upset. But now I have it and I aint letting it go.

Oh muggsly, how do I love thee? let me count the ways!

1. You fit in every car! That makes you the perfect commuter mug.
2. I love your Stainless Steel body and inside. No plastic taste.
3. You double as a water container as well as a coffee mug. Too Cool.
4. Although there are others like ceramic and home made mugs, you still are the classy one.
5. When I thought I lost you I was upset. I felt like I lost a friend. Sniff.
6. You can't count the number of disposable cups I have saved from the waste stream using you.
7. You fit in my hand like a glove.
8. Even though Starbucks discontinued you years ago... you still are the looker you always have been.
9- even though you have a few dents and scratches, you still are a one sexy commuter mug!
10- You keep my coffee warm.

I LOVE YOU MUGGSLY!

I'm Toast- My new favorite thing

I was perusing the web and found a new fun thing... The Bread Art Project. The neat thing is after you visit the Workshops and make a bread art, upload it to the gallery and they will donate $1 for every piece of art uploaded and chosen for their gallery. Not since "Free Rice.com", have I had so much fun playing with my virtual food. Bread art is the brain child of the Grain Foods Foundation to help raise awareness to the hunger problem in the united states. Fun and artistic- get your Creative Freak on and make some toast.

Romeo is toast, too

Sammy wanted a toast portrait, too!

My New Favorite Thing- Lunch-Bots

That Fake Plastic Fish woman introduced me and the rest of the world to a great find! LunchBots- a stainless steel alternative to plastic in your lunch bag. I ordered them and I love them- The lunchbot uno is the perfect size to pack a sandwich or burrito in. The Lynchbots Duo is great for taking some salad and/or chips or a little dessert in. And after going through Crunchy's Food waste reduction challenge and taking more leftovers in my lunch these are great. Stainless steel tins and powdered coated tops make these the best thing for taking lunch in. I highly reccomend them. And I know Beth does too- she is giving away her Lunchbots Duo . So i would head over there and sign up if I were you. Also, she has a coupon code for free shipping! (Code is FREESHIP09 -No secrets here!)And as you can see in the pics above I was able to get two sloppy Jose's in my lunchbot uno!

MY NEW FAVORITE THING- TO-GO WARE

So I was reading fake plastic fish one day, As I do daily, and Beth had posted that togo ware had a 40% discount coupon for those who completed their survey. Well having wanted a tiffin for awhile, You bet I took that survey. And I got my To Go Ware Tiffins last weekend and have been enthralled with them ever since. It actually took me some getting used to the bamboo cutlery, but The tiffins are great. I take them to work everyday with the leftovers that I carry for lunch. The discount through FPF's blog made them affordable. I hope lots of folks try them. This is also helpful for the folks trying Crunchy's new challenge- The food waste reduction Challenge. These tiffins are stainless steel, no-plastic containers that hold an amazing amount of grub. They carry along nicely and are pretty rugged. Romeo and I will have to give them the dog park picnic test! A great value- Thanks Beth!

Burien Farmers Market - New Favorite thing!

Since I got a bit sentimental on jars yesterday, I thought I would go all soft again today and write on one of my other new Favorite things: The Burien Farmers' Market The Burien Farmers' market is held on Thursdays. They did a study and found an odd weekday would be better for their farmers' market as they aren't competing with other markets on weekends, and they could get more vendors (farmers) by having it on a weekday. For me it is great, as I don't go to work until after 2pm. There are always lots of different farms represented and different vendors. I bought my worm bin there and the redworms- that was cool because it saved me the gas to get the worms from Seattle tilth and I didn't have to mail order them. And since a CSA is not in my immediate future, I can get food supporting the ideals of the 100 mile diet. I would like to join a CSA, but finding one has been a problem. They usually prefer to serve and have drop offs in the Seattle city-west and or north but not south. I finally found a couple that drop off here, one about 4 miles away, one right around the corner from home but at a bad time (during work) and one about a block from work. But too late to join! So I get my Local produce at the farmers' market. And when I am there i get entertained. There is usually a Jazz Duo performing there and selling their albums, and artists. And I get to try new things! I made a leek and potato soup last night and loved it. I never had leeks before! So, I can say I love the local farmers' market. Find your local farmers market or CSA program here. Try one around you!

MY new Favorite thing

My new favorite thing is 1/2 pint wide mouth mason jars! I recently purchased a whole dozen of them. I pack my lunch using them and they are perfect for taking a 1/2 pints worth of cooked veggies or fruit or berries in or today I took a baked potato to work and used them to pack the butter. And I store my homemade peanut butter in them. Now if only the Ball/Kerr folks would make a sandwiched size jar. These jars are great- under $9 for a dozen- Cheaper than Glad or Ziplock brand plastic food savers or anything by Rubbermaid, Microwavable too! They also come in other sizes- Jelly jars (12oz, 8oz and 4 oz) are great for putting some milk or other beverage in, and quart and pint jars for larger amounts-for leftovers and such. And of course there is nothing wrong with reusing jars to pack food in! I love my jars! I often wash old food jars when I run a load in the dishwasher- first soak the label and peel it off and just wash. Then reuse the jar!