Women Lines

Go Green in every sphere of life. Why not kitchen!

Whole world is talking about saving environment in order to save your future generations. Facts reflect that how badly we will be affected by our mistakes which we are making today. In order to safeguard environment for our future generations why not start taking small steps today. We as a home manager can follow some steps religiously to contribute in greening the world around.

          I have searched out 7 steps, from different resources and websites, which I think are must to be followed by any aware homemaker-

1.        Take out the print out of this chart http://www.eldr.com/files/ELDR_GreenKitchenChart.pdf

And paste it somewhere in your kitchen. It will act as a reminder about different ways by which you can go  green.

2.        Microwaving is a good option to save energy.  On average, you’ll reduce your energy consumption by two-thirds if you cook stuff in the microwave rather than in the stove (even if yours is gas). It’s not a good idea, for many reasons, to eat only microwaveable meals, but if you’re reheating leftovers—especially small amounts—microwaves are much more efficient than the stove top. You’ll also help keep the kitchen cooler, which is a bonus in hot summer months.

3.        Go for a good cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Don’t go for cookware with non-stick surfaces. Choose sturdy utensils rather than cheap ones as it can be harmful to you. Most nonstick cookware these days is coated with Teflon, which contains chemical. Cooking with Teflon has also been shown to kill birds. Cast Iron is a great alternative, providing precise temperature control and good browning. 

4.        Stock your fridge. A full  fridge uses less energy than an empty one: Every time you open and close the door, the fridge has to kick in to re regulate its temperature. If there’s food in there already, there’s less outside air introduced, therefore less outside air that needs to be cooled. And don’t ever refrigerate uncovered food: Not only does it make it taste gross, but it also humidifies the air makes the motor work harder.

Purchasing from the bulk bins mean less packaging, and fewer trips to the store, and can also mean financial   savings

5.        Stick with green cleaning, rather than using chemical versions in the kitchen. Make your own cleaning products if you feel up to it. There are a lot of innovative ways to capture the cleaning power of vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. For example:

·          Scrub your toilet with vinegar and baking soda.

·          Cut through greasy counter tops with the power of baking soda.

·          Use baking soda to get rid of grease and freshen laundry.

                   Vinegar can clean the bathroom, kitchen, and other rooms throughout your home.

                  6.        When it’s time to buy new appliances, look for the Energy Star label to save on the amount of energy needed to        run the equipment.

Kids having good food habits are rare to find in today’s times!

School authorities are also concerned about the Kid’s lack of interest in healthy food.I attended a talk on healthy food habits in kids, organised by my kids school authorities. I am really grateful to the Counsellor who delivered the talk and shared with us amazing tips to improve eating habits in your kids-

1.Focus on when they eat and not on when they refuse. Praise the child when he is eating. Reinforcement on the positive things lead to positive results.

2.Involve kids in food preparation. You can always take help of your kids in mixing, sprinkling, stirring processes. This will help kids in relating themselves in process of food preparation, and thus they will love to eat it.

3. Prepare menu for the week and involve kids in its planning.You can put that menu or timetable around fridge and keep on discussing, and planning with your kid. Take out some time to discuss about the different component of food like protein, fat, carb.Put photographs of different sources of food which provide you those components. Paste picture of those food around the menu chart. This will help you in discussing the sources with him directly emphasizing the need and benefits of it.

4.Arrange some food around the corners of the kitchen or dining table tops so that when kids come around hungry they can easily take out the food themselves.

5.Provide various type of foods to your kid. Put some effort in doing experiments. Let him have the feel of all types of food, taste and noise, etc. Sensory play can help them a lot to do experiments with different kinds of food.

6.Seeing is believing. They will follow your footsteps. Try to be dramatic in front of them while taking your food.Say I love my food, I love the taste, aroma.Make it interesting for them.

7. Provide small portions and provide variety of food. Substitute other milk products to milk like yogurt, cheese. Provide lots of protein to your kid as it will enhance his alertness.