Starting a Compost at Home

COMPOSTING AT HOME

How do I start a compost? What can I put in the compost? Are indoor composts going to make my kitchen smell? I had all the same questions before my husband and I (and 2 1/2 year-old daughter) rolled up our sleeves and jumped right in!

We started out by purchasing an indoor compost caddy. We found this for around $12 at Whole Foods. 

This came with one charcoal filter that will last roughly 4 months. You can purchase more filters separately. We collected our indoor compost for several weeks and to my delight did not endure any foul odors at at all! We keep ours under the sink next to our garbage can. You will notice how little you actually use your garbage can once you begin an indoor compost bin!

 Let's begin with items that you CAN compost:

• BROWN items with high carbon content: Cardboard/shredded paper (avoid ink). Mulch, wood chips  dry leaves, bark, hay/straw and cow or horse manure.
• GREEN items with high nitrogen content: Fruits, veggies, grass clippings (untreated lawns only), egg shells, coffee grounds and tea bags.

Items to AVOID are:

• Dairy products
• Fats/oils
• Meats
• Pet waste
• Charcoal
• ANYTHING treated with chemicals or pesticides. 

We started our outside compost by finding some old wooden pallets that were no longer being used (ask around at your local grocery stores/factories/etc.) and set up three separate stations. The beginning stage is your initial compost from your indoor caddy that has not began to decompose yet. Stage two is where it begins to decompose and stage three is your finished product: Compost Tea.

It's important to keep the outside compost moist and to mix/aerate it at least 2-3 times per week. You will soon begin to move your compost on to the next stage and eventually use it as a soil for your garden. Come back and visit the blog again for more tips as we continue our adventure into backyard composting. 

Berry Spinach Smoothie

Berry Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients (*use organic)

1c fresh Spinach

1/2c Strawberries (frozen)

1/2c Blueberries (frozen)

1 medium Banana 

1/4c Kefir (I used whole milk Kefir with  wildberries)

1/3c Almond Milk (I used Vanilla)

Blend all of your ingredients together and enjoy immediately! (If you are using frozen fruit there is no need to add ice...if not, add a few cubes of ice before blending)

Breakfast Decadence

Breakfast Decadence 

This delicious breakfast was so simple to make! Vanilla Cinnamon French Toast topped with blueberry syrup, Blueberry Maple Breakfast Links and Scrambled Eggs with fresh Spinach and Goat Cheese. I was able to find homemade Blueberry Maple breakfast links at my local Whole Foods store in the fresh meat department (hormone and antibiotic free)!

FRENCH TOAST (serves 2)

4 slices of Organic Unbleached White Bread (or sourdough)

1 Organic Egg

1/3 cup Organic Vanilla Almond Milk

1t Organic Ground Cinnamon

Whisk the egg, milk and cinnamon together. Dip bread into mixture coating both sides and place in a lightly oiled (I used grapeseed oil) pan on medium high heat. Flip after a couple minutes when the bread begins to toast.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

4 Organic Eggs

1 cup chopped, Fresh Spinach

Pinch of Sea Salt

Pinch of Cracked Black Pepper

Organic Goat Cheese

Cilantro (optional for topping)

In a lightly oiled pan wilt your spinach on medium high heat. Whisk your eggs, then add to your spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until light and fluffy; remove from pan and top with goat cheese and cilantro. 

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (no eggs)

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (no eggs)

Ingredients (*use all organic)

DRY:

2 cups Flour

1t Sea Salt

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

1t Cinnamon

WET:

2 sticks Unsalted Butter (softened)

1 cup light Brown Sugar

2T Raw Honey

1t Vanilla Extract

1/2t Coconut Extract

2T ground Flax Seed mixed with 6T Hot Water (used as an egg substitute) 

3 cups Rolled Oats

1 cup Raisins

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Cream together all of your wet ingredients in a heavy duty mixer then slowly add the dry mix (do not over mix or the cookies will be hard). Fold in the oats and raisins. Drop heaping spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, press down slightly and bake for 11-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Here is a simple homemade refried beans recipe that is delicious and free of added chemicals like BPA found in canned refried beans. You have the option to modify the amount of sodium added and the best part is you can freeze your leftovers for future meals (just store in pre-measured 1-1 1/2 cup size airtight containers for convenience)!

Ingredients: (*organic)

1 lb dry Pinto Beans (rinsed, no need to soak!)

1/2 red Onion, chopped

3 cloves of Garlic, minced

1t Sea Salt

1/2t Cracked Pepper

1/2t Red Pepper Flakes (can be omitted or substituted for half of a seeded Jalapeno or Serrano pepper)

1/4t ground Cumin

1T Oil (I used Jalapeno infused Grapeseed oil, but Olive Oil will also work)

7 cups Water

**optional toppings: Shredded Cheese, Cilantro and Green Onion**

Place all of your ingredients into your slow cooker on high heat for at least 6-8 hours stirring occasionally. Drain the excess liquid (reserving it to add to mixture later). Mash the beans and add the excess liquid if necessary to obtain desired consistency. Serve as a side dish topped with shredded cheese, cilantro and green onions or add it to a homemade burrito or nachos! 

Better Than Delivery Calzones

Better Than Delivery Calzones

Ingredients (*organic)

Pizza Dough (I used Wildtree's So Quick & Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough) prepare according to directions)

8oz cooked Chicken (diced)

8oz Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 cup Shredded Cheese

4oz Chopped Mushrooms (I used Shiitake)

1/4 small Red Onion (diced) 

Pre-heat oven to 425. Prepare dough according to package, then separate into four equal balls of dough. Roll out the dough and spread on some sauce, chicken, mushroom, onion and cheese.

Fold your dough over gently and pinch the edge with your fingers. Cut a couple of small slits into the top of the calzone.

Place calzones onto a baking pan lined with lightly oiled parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Berry Protein Blast Smoothie

Berry Protein Blast Smoothie

Ingredients (*organic)

1/2 scoop 'Garden of Life' RAW PROTEIN POWDER

1 cup mixed Berries (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry)

1/3 cup Almond Milk (I used Vanilla)

Crushed Ice

*optional 1T coconut flakes

Mix in a blender (such as a Vitamix Turbo Blend Two Speed) and enjoy immediately as a nutritious meal replacement!

I use Garden of Life RAW Protein Powder because, for one it's ORGANIC, but it's also free of GMO's, gluten free, dairy free, vegan and it's made up of plant based protein (sprouted brown rice, amarati sprout, quinoa sprout, millet sprout, buckwheat sprout, garbanzo bean sprout, lentil sprout, adzuki bean sprout, flax seed sprout, sunflower seed sprout, pumpkin seed sprout, chia seed sprout and sesame seed sprout). It also contains probiotics!