My Zero Waste Kitchen

I love my little kitchen. It's small, but it works for me. I would love a huge, bright, beautiful Pinterest kitchen, but this one is perfect none the less. 

This is where I store most of my dry goods. Pasta, nuts, legumes, sugar, granola, chocolate, cookie jars, popcorn, potatoes, onions, and garlic.

The kitchen doesn't have a pantry. Justin built this one for me. I'm a little afraid of earthquakes taking it all out, but you can see the liner below the jars.

I've had that liner since my freshman year of college: I have no idea how it made it out to California, but I'm sure glad it did!  

I'm working on zero waste yogurt, but I have not perfected it. I caved and bought some goat yogurt. Everything else is zero waste.

We're enjoying the last of the summer bounty. People ask me what I eat all the time. So, here's an outline of a regular week. 

Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola, Fruit Smoothies, Toast, and Muffins

Justin Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad, Chicken Sandwich, and Turkey Sandwich

Kathryn Lunch: Asian Salad, Veggie Sandwich, and Falafel Sandwich

Snacks: Plums, Watermelon, Grapes, Popcorn

Dinners: Falafel and Greek Salad with Yogurt Sauce, Roasted Pepper Soup and Baked Potatoes, Pesto Pasta, Margarita Pizza, Pepper & Onion Quesadillas, and Roasted Corn, Chicken, and Tomato and Basil salad. 

Dessert: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I still have quite a few appliances. I'm trying to weed some out. 

·       Toaster

·       Microwave

·       Blendtec

·       KitchenAid Mixer

·       Waffle Maker (Justin's favorite)

·       Crockpot

·       2 Le Creuset Pots & 2 Cast Iron Skillets

The Things I'm Considering Donating: 

·       Coffee Maker

·       Food Processor

·       Fondue Pot

·       Margaritaville

I also get asked a lot how much time I spend in the kitchen. I spend about 15 minutes putting together breakfast and lunch.

Dinner takes around 30 - 45 minutes depending on what I'm making. On average I spend around an hour a day. I have always cooked from scratch, so this isn't much different than PZW.

Grocery shopping takes around an hour and a half throughout the week. It takes longer than it used to. I used to shop once a month at Costco. I'm at the farmers market about 30 minutes.

The butcher and the baker are on the same street and it takes about 40 minutes. If I have to go to the bulk store in town, it's another 30 minutes. 

If I need to get something special, and I have to leave town it will take an hour or two, but we typically couple it with a fun excursion. But, I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

We're eating so much cleaner and healthier. I feel energized after eating, and feel good for cutting out most animal products. Animal products are among the top contributors to greenhouse gasses, drought, and heart disease.

How do you like my teeny zero waste kitchen? What do you think about those excess kitchen appliances?

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Zero Waste Deodorant

UPDATED 1/14/16

Deodorant is a great thing. No one wants to stink. But, there has been some alarming information about the aluminum and other ingredients used in common antiperspirants.

I have tried lots of deodorants, lots. As a teenager, I really struggled with overactive sweating. It was so embarrassing. I would have huge sweat spots, and I tried everything to make it stop. 

Some deodorants would even bleach the color in the armpits of my shirts. It was horrible, and not very good for my skin. 

Thankfully, the overactive sweating subsided in adulthood. Now I sweat like a normal human being, and this deodorant is perfect – Plain ol' baking soda!

You can apply it with a shaker, a make-up sponge, or my favorite way with a puff. It was a common way to apply powder in the 50 + years ago, and as a bonus I feel super glamorous!

Do you see this sweater here? I love this sweater. I've had it since 2006... almost ten years. The reason I love it is the very reason I never wore it. Those pom poms are so soft and adorable, but I always felt really weird wearing them in public.

Thankfully, this sweater finally gets put to good use. The pom poms can be removed, and the rest of the sweater will stay intact perfect for donating. (I've been cleaning out my closet... but that's a different post)

If you don't have any puffs lying around, there are plenty to be bought online. 

My puff fits perfectly inside of an old jelly jar. The puffs are so soft and perfect for application. I wouldn't recommend applying the baking soda directly after shaving.

So far I've had no irritation, no sweat stains, and most importantly no smell! I've been showering less because of the drought. So, you know, I need this stuff to work. 

This recipe works perfectly for me but if you think you need a little extra punch you can try adding some Himalayan Salt or try my recipe for extra strength deodorant.

I can't wait until my whole bathroom is zero waste. Do you have any zero waste beauty tricks?