All things green

I have to share some of my latest "green" purchases that have absolutely nothing to do with plants and share a green tip. =) I seriously cannot help myself.

I drink a lot of green monsters, thanks to my friend Jess.  (Thanks, Jess!) I use peanut butter and whatever milk I have in the fridge, but spinach is now a weekly staple and frozen bananas can always be found in my freezer. I love starting off my day with this filling breakfast because I've already consumed a fruit, dairy, and 2 vegetable servings before I've spoken a word to anyone.  =)  The point of me telling you this is that with the frozen banana, the green monster is a little thick and I like to drink it with a straw.  Enter my latest green find:

Stainless steel straws.  You can get them on amazon, or many other places, I'm sure.  No more throwing plastic straws into the landfill for me!  This was an add-on to what I really wanted to buy:

Flip and tumble reusable produce bags.  (Even less plastic in a landfill!) I've been using the 5 I initially bought a few years ago, and needed more.  They've held up well, but I have found myself buying more produce lately.  Some cashiers have trouble reading the PLU's through the mesh, but they never complain about opening the bag up to take a quick glance.

Finally today, I'd like to share my green cleaning link.  A few years back, I invested in a few durable plastic spray bottles, and I've mixed up an all-purpose cleaner of 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water.  This works for every hard surface in every room, and vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  (Vinegar has many other uses, like removing stubborn stickers and killing weeds. Be careful with the weed killer, as NOTHING will grow where you spray vinegar, since it neutralizes the pH of the soil.)

I also made my own glass cleaner which is equal parts vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water. Between this, baking soda, lemon juice, and salt, I have cleaned everything in my home with no toxic chemicals.  I also substituted Borax for bleach in my laundry applications, and sometimes use that in cleaning too.  My go-to for homemade recipes can be found here: Nontoxic solutions

Enjoy!