I read an article recently that listed the things you need to take out of your home to become greener. Can you guess what was number 1 on their list?

If you thought non-stick cook and bake ware you are right!

For years I loved the stuff, everything I had was coated with the miracle non-stick stuff. Now we are finding out all of that stuff that it gives off is not healthy for us. It is not safe over a certain temperature. That temp being much lower than than the high setting on most stove tops. This is just down right scary. There are enough chemicals surrounding us, then to think we are adding more with what we prepare our food in.

Alternatives?

Several years I switched over to stainless steel. Does my food stick? I have become a better cook over the years, but yes on occasions those silly little pancakes do stick. You have to learn to adjust the temperature. If you do that and use the correct oil you shouldn’t have a problem.

Hard anodized aluminum cookware. I do not have any of these pieces but have heard they work just as well as the Teflon and are much safer.

If you are lucky enough to have a gas stove you may want to consider cast iron. When it is seasoned correctly it is non-stick. You cannot use these on glass topped stoves. On electric stoves they may not heat evenly.

I also don’t use cookie sheets or bake ware coated with Teflon. For starters it was much less expensive to buy metal baking sheets.  I can also scrub them without the fear of ruining the non-stick surface. I also use glass baking pans where I can.

So next time you are preparing food, think about the containers as well as the food!

My passion is making soap from scratch. What does this involve? Well soon I will be able to direct you to my site Soap of Course, but for right now I am just going to give you a short version.

Soap is actual a chemical reaction between an acid and a base. That would be the science geek in my by the way.

You find your oils. These can range from the grocery store variety of olive, soybean and canola to the type you have to get at your health food store such as coconut and palm oils. These are the basic oils, but then you can add such things as cocoa butter and bees wax.  You can get really into soap making and get things such as grapeseed, apricot, sweet almond oil and butters such as mango and shea.

But no matter what oils that you use you have to have the right combination. These oils and butters are measured out by weight and put into a formula.

Now here comes the part that makes people shake their heads and say no way are they going to make let alone use handmade soap. You have to mix all these wonderful oils with sodium hydroxide. That is what causes the chemical reaction and turns these oils into soap. You have probably heard of this referred to as lye. I know, the stories abound about Grandma’s old lye soap.

Well sweetie, soap making has come along way. Working the oils into this formula and measuring out specific amounts of oils and lyes gives you the best soap you have ever used. It is rich and nourishing to your skin.

One of the greatest benefits is that it is all natural. It has no chemicals, no preservatives and no fancy words you can not pronounce. Ok so sometimes I wonder how to pronounce some of the words like Monoi de Tahiti oil but I think that is more a personal thing.

Most soaps you buy on the market are not even real soaps, they are detergents. Do you really want to wash with those?

I am really excited to be launching Soap of Course in the coming months. I want to share with you the great benefits of using handmade soap, the properties of the oils, aromatherapy and herbs. I will be sure to let you know right here when to check it out!

The temperatures are starting to drop here in Wisconsin. That means that our heating bills are going up. We have to keep warm so the price we pay is a trade off.

There are some tips on how to keep warm and still keep change in our pockets. Finding ways to save on our heating cost can benefit both our wallets and our environment.

Getting your heating system cleaned and serviced once a year is recommended. This will keep your furnace in optimum running condition. The person who comes in to do the maintenance for you can also alert you to any potential problems. A clean heating system works more efficiently as well.

If your heating system uses filters, be sure to change them out as your maintenance will recommend to you. This does vary with your households. If you have animals that shed, you will need to change these filters out more often. If you have a family member that has allergies it is also a wise idea to change these more frequently.

The next thing you can do to save on your heating bill is to use that programmable thermostat. If you don’t have one that is programmable these are a good investment. You can turn down your heat by a few degrees for the hours you are not at home. You can also set your thermostat to 5 or 10 degrees for the hours you are sleeping.

Keep doors closed to rooms that you don’t use. If you can close heating vents in those rooms do so. There is no use heating rooms you don’t use.

Make sure those windows are sealed with storms on them. You lose a great amount of heat out of your windows. Take time to inspect all your windows. You can also install plastic over windows to add another layer of insulation. You can also invest in curtains that are lined. These keep a great deal of heat inside.

Your doors are another area that heat escapes out. You can purchase devices that you can place under your door to stop drafts. You can also go a cheap route and fill tube socks full of cotton and rice to place in front of doors. Stores such as Walmart also have available seals that can be placed around your doors to ensure they have a tight seal.

For every degree you lower your thermostat you save money. Some people choose to lower their thermostat a degree at a time, until they find a temperature that they are comfortable with. Some may have to have the thermostat set at 72 degrees where others may have their thermostat set at 65 degrees. If you can tolerate the lower temperature, you will be saving money.

You can save money by lowering your thermostat to a lower temperature and using space heaters in the rooms you use when you use them. This may not be a feasible option for everyone, but has been shown to be effect for those that use space heaters wisely.

These are only a few tips to keeping warm this winter. Remember putting on a sweater and wearing slippers is cheaper than turning up your thermostat. What other ideas can you come up with?