Where'd You Get . . . ?

I get lots of questions about where we get this or that. I figured I'd create a running list of the things we own. If you don't find what you're looking for -- shoot me a message on Instagram, and I'll try to get it up here ASAP.

HOME ORGANIZATION 

• Here's a whole post with a source list for different storage containers we use in all areas of the house.
• Hall Tree + Bench -- I get so many questions on this. It's finally back in stock.
• Alternative Hall Tree -- this is the other one I almost bought 
• 9-cube Organizer -- we use as our kids' dressers
• 3-cube Storage Bench -- we have 4 total as a long "built-in" in the living room
• Mini Woven Market Baskets -- used as Easter baskets but now corral things in the kids' rooms
• Ziploc Flexible Totes -- for my kid clothing storage
• 13" Cube Organizers (Toy Storage -- we have a 2x3, 2x4, and 2x1 in both rustic grey and white)

KITCHEN STUFF

• Bamboo Bread Box
• Rechargeable Under Cabinet Lights (cordless -- 3-pack)
• D-C Fix Grey Marble Contact Paper (countertops)
• Large Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet -- only $15! Use it every day!
• Kitchen Stools -- set of 4 counter-height in bronzed black
• Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender
• Grass Drying Mat
• Instant Pot DUO 6-quart
• Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook
• Vegetarian Indian Cooking in the Instant Pot Cookbook
• Oh She Glows Cookbook
• Oh She Glows Everyday Cookbook 

LESS WASTE

• Wide Mouth Ball Jars -- all sizes for food storage and drinking glasses
• Reusable Wide Mouth Lids
• Reusable Bowl Covers
• Beeswax Food Wrap
• How to DIY beeswax food wrap, too!
• Mason Jar Silicone Drink Tops
• Mason Jar Silicone Sleeves
• We prefer silicone straws to metal or glass
• Yumbox Kids Lunchbox
• Stasher Silicone Bags
• Planet Wise Snack Bags
• Silpat Baking Mat

RANDOM HOUSE STUFF

• Amazon Basics Thermal Laminator
• Buffalo Check Curtains -- in our basement bathroom
• Wireless Remote Outlet Control Kit 3-pack
• Blackout Shades

STOCK TANK POOL

• The process is documented here
• 10 ft stock tank from Farm Supply
• Intex Krystal Clear 1,000 GPH pump
• KemTek 1-inch chlorine tabs
• Chlorine floater
• Ideas for 10 ft pool covers -- we're getting a solar one

A great option if you don't want to buy a large stock tank is this BestWay kid pool. It's 22" deep and it's what we used for two summers before installing the stock tank. It is only $70 and is a very similar experience! We used the same pool maintenance stuff.

BREAD BAKING

• Taylor Digital Kitchen Scale
• Wooden Proofing Basket
• Bread Lame
• J.A. Henckels Bread Knife -- so sharp, be careful!
• Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour

CLEANING TOOLS

• Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop
• Shark Ultra-Light Stick Vacuum (corded)
• E-cloth microfiber cleaning cloths

CLEANING PRODUCTS

• I do use my own vinegar cleaners
• I prefer Method products and Seventh Generation products when I buy stuff either online or locally. In particular, Seventh Generation has a great EWG rating. I've been using their stuff since college.

KID THINGS

• Guidecraft Folding Kitchen Helper Stand
• OXO Tot Sprout High Chair
• Woolino OS Merino Sleep sack -- (2mo-24mo) Eden's sleep sack -- has gone through three kids
• CastleWare OS Organic Sleep Bag -- (16mo-3T) Eloise's sleep sack -- has feet free
• Elmo Training Pants
• Daniel Tiger Underwear
• Oh, Crap Potty Training Book
• AXVUE 2-Camera Video Monitor
• Baby Bjorn Bouncer -- hands down my favorite thing
• Ergo 360 Baby Carrier
• BOB Revolution Duallie Double Jogger -- buy used if possible
• Kanken Classic Backpack -- my diaper bag
• Avent Glass Bottles -- Eden's bottles

PERSONAL CARE

• Wegreeco Bamboo Cloth Pads -- regular
• Wegreeco Bamboo Cloth Pads -- large
• FLEX Menstrual Cup -- finally found one that works for me

VAN STUFF

• Car Seat Protectors, 2-pack
• Motor Trend Beige Car Floor Mats -- cargo

Read more...

OUR FAVORITE TOYS

I feel like we've had almost every toy out there in our house. By now, I have a good handle on what my kids play with time and time again. And those loved toys may not be the ones you'd most expect. Anyway, I get a lot of questions about what toys our kids have + play with most, so I figured I'd compile a page of our favorite toys, etc. I'll try to update this from time to time as we edit our own collection.

Note: We own all of these toys and have purchased them with our own money.




* These are Amazon affiliate links, so I do receive a (very) small percentage of any sales. Thank you for supporting (never)homemaker and making my content possible!

Read more...

12 Tools to Help You Go Zero Waste

Alright, I'm still learning so much about becoming less wasteful. While ZERO WASTE is definitely a good goal to have, it's very difficult. I am far from being there, but I am learning that there are many things I can do to improve on where we're at in the present moment. This involves getting some things on the front-end to set up for success later on.

Here are my favorite products* and tools to eliminate waste:

Mesh Produce Bags. Comes in a set of 9 assorted sizes. I've shared these with you before. I love them. When I was using them at the store on Monday, I got several compliments and requests to share where I got them. They work wonderfully for produce and bulk items. I used them specifically this week for garlic, sweet potatoes, ginger, broccoli, and lentils.

WeeSprout Pouches. A reader shared the idea with me to start using reusable food pouches for applesauce, yogurt, and other things I like to include in Ada's lunches. Not only is this less wasteful, but it also saves a ton of cash. I'll report back on how they work, how to clean them, etc.

MIRA Stainless Steel Food Containers. We've been through plastic containers, glass containers, etc. The thing is, we were using glass for a while . . . but it's breakable. Stephen has broken so many Ball jar salad containers. Ada took applesauce in glass to school, but I worried about her breaking them, too.

Stainless steel containers come in assorted shapes + sizes, they're also awesome, BPA-free, and won't break!

Blue Avocado (re)Zip Bags. I've come to the conclusion that I need to buy several sets of these reusable freezer bags. I love my freezer cooking. If you follow me on Instagram, you see that I cooked 11 dinners yesterday alone. Everything is in gallon zip bags. It's wasteful. But it's also something I need, so there's tons of room for improvement here.

There are other brands of reusable zip bags, too. Do you guys have a favorite?

Wegreeco Reusable Snack Bags. Here's something else we've been using for Ada's lunches - reusable fabric snack bags. You can pop these guys in your washing machine to clean them. The kind we have uses Velcro closures, but if I buy more, I will get this brand because it's zip and won't let stuff out.

ECOHip Shopping Bags. I have a lot of different kinds of reusable grocery bags. When I went to buy a few more last month, I decided to get a set of these ECOHip ones because they are so darned compact. This is good because I have started bringing them with me whenever I'm out shopping for non-food items as well. They fit conveniently into my purse and stretch to fit all sorts of stuff.

Klean Kanteen Water Bottle. I bought this specific bottle because I found it while shopping at Wegmans. I didn't give it a lot of thought, but it's a great, sturdy bottle. Much lighter than glass, better than plastic, etc. I even got Ada a kid's kanteen -- she loves the purple color and the sport cap.

And while researching this post, I discovered that they also make a kid's kanteen with a sippy top that I may get for Eloise.

Stanley Vacuum Mug. I bought Stephen this mug for Christmas and he says it's the best one he's ever used. It's definitely life-proof. I got him the 16-ounce version that keeps stuff warm or cold for 7 hours.

Bee's Wrap. If you don't want to make your own reusable wax food wrap, you can buy it online. This pack comes with three different sizes and will last you up to a year if you take care of it properly.

Silicone Wrap. I'm also intrigued by these stretchable silicone bowl covers. I think they might be useful when prepping food or making bread (as a cover during rise times). Has anyone used them? Different brands get mixed reviews. Like the bee's wrap, it comes in three different sizes.

32-Ounce Ball Jars. We use these for storing bulk foods, making pickles, drinking glasses, and food storage. I cannot go on enough about how awesome Ball jars are. Yes, you have to be careful because they are glass. But they are OK for freezing stuff and -- if you know how -- even canning.

My tip is to get the plastic lids so you can close them up really well if you plan to use them for storage.

Bar Towels. I also know I've shared this trick many times, but we have TONS of these bar towels in my house that we use as napkin and as paper towels for wiping up messes. No paper towels needed. Just get a good system going and it becomes very automatic.

What?!

You may be thinking: "But, Ashley! Buying stuff online means lots of packaging before it gets to your house." And, I get it. I don't really know what to do about that. I cannot buy some of this stuff locally, so I'm not sure what I should do. I could travel an hour away where I think the store may carry a few items, but I'd be taking gas money ($) and also spending some CO2 emissions to get there.

You see how this all becomes very difficult. While I say "zero" waste is the goal, I do not know if ZERO is totally realistic for our family. I know people do it. Instead, I'd like to work toward leaning out our recycling to just one bin per week (we have several each week) and maybe just one trash bin every week or maybe even two.

Related

• Green in 15 // Living a More Sustainable Life 
• Zero Waste Family? 
• No More Paper Towels -- Our System
• DIY Reusable Food Wrap 
• 5 Green Cleaners That Work
• 5-Minute Homemade Deodorant
• 8 Ways We've Eliminated Plastics
• Cleaning Produce The Natural Way
• Chemical-Free Clean With Castile Soap

 

* These are affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase these products, I will get a (very!) small kickback. But I want you to know that I am sincere in my sharing. We actually own most of these items and plan to purchase the rest as we move toward less waste. Thank you for supporting the blog!

Read more...

NYC: A Tourist's Guide

The (first) photo dump of our NYC trip is up on Writing Chapter Three, if you'd rather gawk at pretty pictures. I wrote this post somewhat selfishly because I'd like to remember the places we enjoyed on our trip.

Sigh. I have major case of post-trip blues . . . 


We stuck primarily to the midtown + Flatiron area since it was where we stayed, so this is -- obviously -- a rather limited scope of what you can do in the city. We took the subway one day, but mostly walked everywhere else. I estimated like 6 to 8 miles a day!

That being said, I'd love to know some of your favorite spots for future trips. Or if you've been to any of these places, what you thought about them. Please, tell us!

Here's my NYC guide -- from my perspective as a tourist.

LIGHT BITES + ETC.
I love casual eateries, and NYC has plenty to choose from. I think by far my favorite on this list is Hu Kitchen. Thanks, Steff, for taking us there!

Crumbs Bake Shop 

(Flatiron, 655 6th Ave) 

:: oh my gawd I ate way too many of the Cookies 'n Cream cupcakes. definitely wins my dessert category.

Hu Kitchen 

(78 5th Ave)

:: totally gluten-free, this place has smoothies, juices, breakfast bowls, and awesome baked goods.

Lenny's 

(Flatiron, 16 West 23rd Street)

:: great for a basic sandwich or bagel on the go, inexpensive.

Argo Tea Cafe 

(Flatiron, 949 Broadway)

:: yummy warm and cold drinks and grab-n-go salads.

Pick-A-Bagel

(Gramercy, 297 3rd Ave)
:: We went here on our way out of town. Several different kinds of tofu cream cheese. GIGANTIC bagels. All different varieties. Super-fast service. Wish I found it sooner!

Whole Foods
(Union Square)
:: This isn't a NYC thing, but we don't have one any closer than that to where we live. And this place has kombucha by the growler-ful. We stopped in for some necessities, as well as green smoothies we shared as a family.

Gimmee Coffee
(228 Mott Street)
:: Gimmee boasts several locations -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Ithaca, Trumansburg. So, it was sort of neat to visit the big brother to our little college town favorite. Oh, yeah. Their coffee + other drinks are fantastic, too.

MEAL SPOTS
We were really fortunate to have TWO nights of babysitting during our week-long stay. We took full advantage. The other nights? We got ingredients to bring back to the apartment and cook in. Delicious! I miss the food already!

 

Eataly 

(Flatiron, 200 5th Ave)

:: can I confess we went to Eataly every day of our trip? yes. you can get lost in there, in the best way possible. it's a market and a collection of awesome Italian restaurants.

Birreria 

(rooftop at Eataly)

:: we went here on one of our "date nights" for some brews, a delicious cheese plate, and fish (Stephen) + grilled portabellas (Ashley) with a pear-cheese fondue!

Patsy's 

(Greenwich Village, 67 University Place)

:: best pizza I had in the city. i hear the location in Harlem is the original, but the spot on our way home from Washington Park was pretty fantastic.

Heartland Brewery 

(Union Square)

:: this was sort of a random choice for lunch, but it was there, it advertised beers (pretty good house selection), and the food was pretty interesting.

Dhaba 

(Murray Hill, 108 Lexington Ave) 

:: Stephen's uncle told us we were staying right near "Curry Hill" -- a cluster of great Indian restaurants. it was hard to choose, but this place called our names. can't say enough good things about the vegetarian/vegan food and the service.

SHOPPING
Honestly, we didn't do a lot of shopping. It wasn't what the trip was about. But, staying so close to 5th Avenue definitely had us passing by some fun spots several times a day.

Vintage Thrift Shop 

(286 3rd Avenue)
:: Seriously amazing spot. Lots of unique finds. I got this amazing vintage Zara dress/tunic for like $15.

Giggle 

(352 Amsterdam Ave)

:: We stopped in here to buy Ada a blanket (ridiculous, I know) because it was frigid when we trekked to the Upper West Side. Lots of cute, high-end stuff I never see in stores around my home area.

Lush 

(7 East 14th Street)

:: I feel like this place needs no introduction. I bought several hard shampoo bars. I love them. I just don't love the pushy (but nicey-nice) sales strategy. Maybe it was just that location?

Madewell 

(115 5th Avenue)
:: I shop -- the sale section -- online all the time. But I found an amazing dress for a fall wedding I'm attending on clearance with an extra 20% off. w00t!

Uniqlo 

(31 West 34th Street)
:: My friend Matt suggested this place. Amazing basics. Great prices, almost like H&M, but much, much better quality. Plus, the store is just fun to walk around with all the lights, mirrors, and music.

SIGHTS
I don't want to whine, but it was cold + windy during our stay. Like every day. If we didn't have Ada, I think we could have widened our scope -- but we didn't pack for that weather (rookie mistake), so we did a lot of sight-seeing on foot during our runs, which I'll write about another day. Here are a few places we did manage a visit . . .

Dakota Building + Strawberry Fields 

:: I went through a John Lennon phase in middle school/high school . Had to make the pilgrimage to his former digs + 

Madison Square Park

:: great views of Empire State Building, Flatiron, etc.

Union Square Park  

:: Favorite playground for Ada, good shopping nearby

Washington Square Park

:: Gorgeous park, less hectic than the others

Central Park

:: Didn't spend a lot of time there, but obviously worth a go!

FAO Schwarz

:: fun for the kiddos + parents alike.

NY Public Library
:: I'm a dork (and also worked in a library for many years), but it's such a gorgeous building and adjacent to Bryant Park, so I could pretend I have some connection to fashion week.

RUNNING As I mentioned above, I'll write more about the running another day this week. This photo is from the East River, looking down toward the Brooklyn Bridge. So pretty!

East River Promenade

Hudson River Greenway

Random family trip tip: Coordinate your packing efforts, at least when it comes to jackets. We all packed the same coat. Are you kidding me? Look at this! I think this is pretty much like wearing the same bright red t-shirt at Disney or something.

I hope you enjoyed by tourist-y guide to NYC. I know I missed a ton of great stuff, but there's no way we could see it all in just six days. What should we put on our "DON'T MISS!" list for next time? I already know I want to see The Book of Mormon . . . I'll have to save my pennies until then.

Have a lovely day!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Great Garbanzos

Hey, all you crazy ninjas -- Stephen here! Ashley's feeling sluggish today, so I've taken on the posting responsibilities. When presented with the challenge of coming up with a topic, I didn't need to think for very long at all.

Today's focus? Garbanzo beans (chickpeas).

One of my favorite snacks in a rush is a half cup of rinsed garbanzo beans with a couple drips of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And it seems the leftover beans always find their way into our meals.

WHY WE LOVE GARBANZOS:

• They're delicious.
• They're high in fiber and folate (shout to the pregnant women!).
• They're a great source of protein for vegetarians.
• They're cheap and readily available in canned or dried form.
• There isn't a single spice -- at least we've found this to be true -- you can't toss in with them.
• You can use them in almost any recipe. Seriously!

OUR 10 FAVORITE GARBANZO RECIPES:


THE NEW BANANA BREAD


COCONUT-GARBANZO BEAN SALAD


GARBANZO GARLIC KNOTS


HEALTHY LENTIL-GARBANZO BOWL


PUMPKIN MAC 'N CHEESE -- with garbanzo puree


CHICKPEA BURGERS


COOKED KALE AND CHICKPEA SALAD


CURRIED CHICKPEA MASH


CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES


CHOCOLATE-PB HU-MOUSSE -- Ashley's favorite


Today on (never home)maker, baby! -- learn how we jazzed up cheap-o, $5 Target poster frames for our nursery art. For super easy instructions, head this way . . .

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

In the Blink of an Eye . . .

OK. Maybe it's not THAT bad. Breathe . . . This morning I went to visit my old blog (makemethod.vox.com). I was planning to hunt around for this great pumpkin chili recipe I posted a couple years ago. In fact, a reader had written me recently to make sure the old site would stay up so she could continue to find that specific recipe.

Rhonda wrote: I tried your pumpkin chili recipe tonight and loved it! Please make sure it doesn't get lost from your old site when it closes.

And I guess I didn't understand what she meant by "when it closes" because I hadn't logged into my old site in over a year. She really meant the whole site -- all of VOX -- was closing! I had absolutely no idea -- I mean, I was planning to keep the old site up indefinitely. So, now I have this amazing chili recipe I created and it's just . . . gone!

Gone is the blog I maintained for over a year. Gone also is what I planned to post this morning. Yikes.


Well, I do have my current favorites to share with you. Stuff I've been enjoying lately. Stuff that's been keeping me happy. Stuff that's been keeping me sane. Number one on that list is Mighty Leaf tea. Wowzah! Have you ever tried their brews?

I hadn't. But when they contacted me earlier in the month and said they wanted to send me a few sachets to sample, I couldn't resist. Their chocolate-mint tea is absolutely ahhhhh-mazing.


Just mix in a splash of milk and a dash of sweetener (I used maple syrup), and you're got the most incredible hot beverage to carry with you throughout the day.


I think I even like it better than my homemade chai recipe. Is that even possible? I'm starting to lean toward . . . definitely yes.


Honestly, even if they hadn't sent me samples, if I had come across their tea on my own, I would have fallen in love. I'm not much into coffee (that's more Stephen's thing). But give me a good herbal tea. Well, any kind of tea, really. And I'm set. We have a million varieties at home. I like fruity kinds for the summer. Spiced varieties in the fall and winter months. And since I'm usually sick a lot of the springtime, I go with the more medicinal types.


Onto number 2 on the list: Breakfast for Dinner. Two nights this week, we had eggs, English muffins, hash browns, and a side of cooked spinach for dinner. I wrote last week about how I go off and on with my love for eggs. It's ON right now. And when you're tired and cranky, cracking open some easy protein and frying it up is just what the doctor ordered. Pass the hot sauce, please!

(And, don't worry, I fully admit that the photo is AWFUL. But I snapped it in the dark. Really fast. Go ahead, laugh a little!)


Number 3: Unique Chocolate Bars. Specifically Theo's organic, fair-trade, bean-to-bar chocolate. Move over fancy peanut butters, I found these bars at the Wegmans in Corning, NY, this weekend . . . and I just can't get enough. I mean, flavors like coconut-curry and fig-fennel? TEA in chocolate? C'mon. Plus, all the pretty art on the packaging makes these bars the perfect low-cost pick-me-up gift for a friend.


Homemade Peanut Butter is number 4 on our favorites list. Ashley has helped up break free from our costly peanut butter habit. We've been able to craft our own creative concoctions, including a chocolate coconut peanut butter, a maple-cinnamon peanut butter, and we're looking forward to a Nutella-esque variety in the near future. Yum. If you want to see how it's done, just check out this post.


Number 5 on the list: Cold-Eeze. I'm a convert. A true believer. Friends and family swear this stuff works. They've told me for years, but I didn't have any idea the effect would be so dramatic. I'm now thinking about taking a Zinc supplement. Seems like I really need the extra immune support.

So, my question for you is: Have you ever LOST a recipe you absolutely love? Even though you may have made it a gazillion times, did it take you a while to figure it out again? I've lost a few recipes, but never anything like that pumpkin chili. I'm a bit upset, but also excited to see what new twist I can bring to it. We'll see! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...