My one small change for November has been to bake more. This means purchasing less processed food with all that packaging and all those nasty ingredients and simply making our own. During these past 10 days I have made chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal carrot cookies, muffins,
several loaves of bread, and
apple bars. Doesn't seem like much, but it really is. By making these items we eliminated the need to purchase packaged treats and are eating things with fewer ingredients. While in the kitchen I have been thinking of ways to take this mission a step further. Baking alone is an eco friendly activity, but are there ways I could make it more eco friendly? I came up with a list that I wanted to share with you for what I call Eco Friendly Baking. If you have anything to add, please don't hesitate to let me know!
1. Plan to bake several things at the same time. This way you reduce the amount of times you need to heat up your oven and this will save on electricity. For example, this week I baked muffins, then put in some cookies, then put in some bread. If I had baked these items all at separate times, we would have had to heat up the oven all 3 times.
2. Look for ingredients that are organic and packaged in material that is recyclable or that you can reuse. For example, if you are using a lot of peanut butter in your baking, purchase a brand that uses organic peanuts and is packaged in a glass container....better yet, go one step further and look for local brands!
3. Compost unused ingredients...egg shells, apple cores, carrot skins. Composting fruit and veggie scraps is a great way to keep these items out of the land fill while making some beautiful soil. Just remember to not compost meat or dairy.
4. When purchasing your ingredients, always use reusable bags!
5. When cleaning up, use cloths and sponges instead of paper towels
6. Forgo the cooking spray, that contains chemicals, and use some olive oil to grease pans. I just add a bit of oil, then spread it around with a cloth.
7. When making muffins or cupcakes, forget about using the paper cupcake holders. Just spread around some olive oil in the pan and they will pop right out when done baking.
8. If you are in the market for some new baking items, look for brands that use natural materials such as bamboo or recycled materials. Remember to focus on quality over quantity and purchase high quality items made with high quality eco friendly material.
This is what I have come up with so far, but I am sure the list will grow. If you have an idea, please leave us a comment!
I wanted to leave you with a recipe that we enjoyed this week!
Oatmeal and Carrot Cookies from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbls wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 tbls safflower oil
1/4 cup firmly packed finely grated carrot (could also use apple)
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Combine flour, oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a bowl and stir together. Add the apple sauce and oil and stir together until combined. Stir in carrots and raisins. Drop the batter onto lightly oiled baking sheet in slightly rounded tablespoons about 1 inch apart. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
My modifications:
I used ground flax seeds in place of the wheat germ.
I used olive oil in place of safflower oil
I used chocolate chips instead of raisins (because, let's face it...everything tastes better with chocolate chips!)
I did not use walnuts.
Eco Friendly Baking
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