Sustainable FSA Items

Some businesses will give you an FSA as part of your benefits package. 

What Is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?

A flexible spending account (FSA) is a type of savings account that provides the account holder with specific tax advantages. An FSA, sometimes called a “flexible spending arrangement,” is set up by an employer for an employee. The account allows you to contribute a portion of your regular earnings to pay for qualified expenses related to medical and dental costs.(from investopedia). 

Some people struggle to spend all their FSA money by the end of the year and only a certain portion can be rolled over to the next year. 

Here are are tips to being low waste while using the FSA:

• Ask for an emailed receipt. This way you can upload the receipt straight to the FSA app. 
• Use your FSA funds on experiences not things. With a medical letter of necessity you can receive massage, gym memberships and many other in person experiences rather. I was able to email my doctor to get this letter. 

Items you can purchase that are sustainable: 

• Menstrual cups and other feminine products are now reimbursable under the FSA program. WAHOO! I purchased mine from Saalt and they helped me get a receipt that was accepted by my FSA provider.  
• Sunscreen! I love that sunscreen and cosmetics that include SPF are covered under the FSA. Just make sure you keep the receipt (preferably a digital receipt). I purchased mine from our local zero waste store.  You can also purchase directly, I like Raw Elements. 
• Biodegradable bandaids are a great way to spend FSA funds. Check these out from Patch. They are made with bamboo. 
• Vitamins can be low waste if you find the right ones. Glass bottles are a good option. If you want personalized vitamin packs Care/of is now packaging their vitamins in plant based film. They have an awesome quiz to help you find the right vitamins.
• Did you know you can buy biodegradable pregnancy and ovulation tests? Check them out here.

Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth

Bone broth is super fashionable these days. The health benefits and it's tastiness are definitely worth the hype but not for the price. Some jars go for as much as $16 in the stores. It is so easy to make and you can make it with scraps you would normally consider trash. I keep a bag in my freezer and every time I prep veggies for dinner I throw my scraps in the bag. This works well with onions, garlic, carrots, celery and parsnips but you can experiment with other veggies too. I don't recommend starchy veggies like potatoes or yams. Then, when the bag is full and a I have some chicken bones, I know its time to cook up a batch. 

Ingredients: 

-Bones of a cooked chicken (or turkey)

-2 carrots chopped roughly (or broken in two)

-5 stalks of celery 

-1 small onion 

-2 cloves garlic

-1 tsp peppercorns 

-2 bay leaves 

-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (the vinegar helps pull out the nutrients from the bone. Without the vinegar it's just stock). 

-variety of fresh herbs (I used whatever I have in my Aerogarden)

Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients into a pressure cooker (this is the one I have).

2. Fill with water to max fill line. 

3. Cook on high pressure for 4 hours. I time mine so that it cooks overnight and is cool by morning. Let the pressure cooker naturally release. 

4. Strain with a fine sieve.

5. Store in jars. This will keep in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for months. 

6. Use the broth in soups, sauces or drink as a meal replacement or snack. 

DIY Homemade Disinfectant Spray

My husband came home with a bit of a cold the other day. With all this hysteria around illness these days I felt compelled to disinfect the house. Only problem is, we’ve been working towards using only toxic free house products and reducing our waste. So no Clorox or Lysol. I quickly put together an all-natural chemical free cleaning solution that worked wonderfully! You can make your own using this recipe! 

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup white or Apple Cider vinegar

1/4 cup Tito’s vodka or rubbing alcohol 

15 drops essential oil  (I use Plant Therapy’s Immune Aid but you can use lemon, lavender or tea tree oil. All of those have been known to fight germs. You can also use Thieves or OnGuard). If you’d like to buy some essential oils at a discount click here.

Spray Bottle (I use my glass bottle from Grove Collaborative. For a free starter kit click here.)

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into the spray bottle, shake and clean! Because of our efforts to reduce waste we use cloth towels when cleaning up. As you are cleaning make sure to change cloths frequently. I suggest using a new cloth for each room you disinfect. No use spreading germs from area to area all across your house. When I use this solution I spray it on all surfaces, wood, tile, vinyl etc. If you are worried about what it will do to a surface make sure you test a small area first before spraying the entire surface. Don’t forget to disinfect light switches and door knobs! 

Homemade DIY Hand Sanitizer

Everyone is freaking out these days about coronavirus and the flu and I get it it’s super scary. But, what I am finding myself getting stressed about isn’t actually getting sick but, not having access to things like purell and medications because everyone seems to be stockpiling them. I’ve already looked at many places are sold out of purell and other hand sanitizing products. First, let me say washing your hands with antibacterial soap and water for 20 seconds is much more effective than hand sanitizer. But if you’re in a pinch it’s much easier to have some hand sanitizer in your car or in your purse in case you’re in public and don’t have the opportunity to stop at a bathroom. I created this simple hand sanitizer recipe that you can put in a spray bottle and keep near you in case you have the need for clean hands on the go. This stuff is effective but doesn’t leave that residue feeling on your skin like other gel hand sanitizers.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup aloe vera gel
2/3 cup rubbing alcohol (91 or 99%)
10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I use Plant Therapy’s Immune Aid but you can use lemon, lavender or tea tree oil. All of those have been known to fight germs. You can also use Thieves or OnGuard). If you’d like to buy some essential oils at a discount click here.

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a measuring cup with spout
Stir and pour into a spray bottle.
Shake bottle before each use.
Spray 3-5 sprays on hands and rub until your hands feel warm (friction can also kill germs 🙌🏼).

Our First Imperfect Foods Experience

We just got our first box from Imperfect Foods

and I am obsessed. Imprefect Foods was founded in 2015 with a mission to eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone. The idea is simple- they take produce and other food goods that are imperfect (and therefore not acceptable for grocery stores) and sell them to consumers (usually for a discounted price). I first heard about the company about a year ago on an Instagram ad and immediately went on the site to sign up. Unfortunately, they weren't yet available in our area. I have been periodically checking back ever since. When I finally heard that they were delivering in our area I was so excited and signed up literally within minutes.

I am an absolute fiend for food delivery services 

but I *hate* the waste. This was our perfect solution. After I signed up, chose my box size and learned when my delivery window was. I (im)patiently waited for my first delivery customization email. This arrived on a Monday afternoon. I had until Tuesday at 3:00pm to meal plan and customize my order.

There were so many delicious things to choose from.

 Some staples were automatically added to my cart (which you can delete if you don't want them) while other items I had to specifically search for. Because Christmas was coming up I was able to add a large amount of the things I knew I needed (potatoes and brussel sprouts). When you click on the item it tells you why the item is imperfect (surplus, scarring, random sizes etc). There are so many amazing things to choose from. They also even have some 'perfect' staple items like chicken (at a super reasonable price). You can get free delivery if you make to a certain dollar amount but the delivery fee isn't that high.

Here you can see the cost and variety of the items I ordered

After my order was locked in I received a tracking number. When my box arrived (delivered by Fedex) it was clearly in a re-used cardboard box which I loved! 

Even though I had seen the list of what I ordered I was overwhelmed by how much food there was. The potatoes alone filled the largest pot I have in my cupboard. 

There was an ice pack and insulation so the perishable goods didn't go bad. I was a little worried about the quality of the produce and whether it would go bad quickly or not. It all was in really great shape except for the celery. The celery was a little broken on a few stalks so I just ripped them off and threw them in the freezer with my broth veggie bag and voila! good as new. The fruits and veggies were super delicious and fresh.
We loved our Imperfect Foods box and can't wait for our second box next week! To get your own box click here. 

Healing Tonic

About a month ago...

I got super sick and just could not figure out how to get better. I was ready to try anything! I have also been struggling with my allergies so I constantly have a tickle in my throat and a stuffed up nose. I found this recipe that suggested turmeric. I had never consciously eaten turmeric. I didn't even know where to buy it. Oddly, my husband had just bought some powdered turmeric to make chili or curry or something. I found a recipe for a healing tonic and decided to give it a try. The ingredient combination made me very confused but again, I was desperate. I tried it and it actually was delicious and so soothing. I have since updated the recipe to add some health benefits and I LOVE it.

Turmeric 

Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory It also has the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Black Pepper

It is hard for your body to absorb the benefits of turmeric (or curcumin, the main benefit of turmeric). Black pepper enhances the absorption of curcumin and has a myriad of other health benefits you can read about here.

Ginger

Ginger is my favorite natural anti-nausea remedy but it also has benefits for your muscles and can reduce soreness. This is super important when you have the flu and feel like you've been hit by a train.It can help with menstrual pain, indigestion and may even help prevent cancer and Alzheimer's.

Lemon

I've heard for years that drinking lemon water is good for you but honestly I don't like the taste and acidity.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

I LOVE apple cider vinegar. I use it for cleaning and a variety of health recipes. A camp favorite is the ACV gargle. ACV kills bacteria which makes it great for your sore throat and its SO soothing. It also has a variety of digestion benefits and can help with weight loss.

Honey

Local honey can be amazing for your allergies as it gives you small doses of the nearby pollen. It can also work as a cough suppressant.

So, here is the recipe to my favorite tonic. I have been drinking loads of this stuff recently as a preventative measure and also as a soothing drink when I had a cold. This is the suggested recipe but change things around based on your taste and needs. Tell me what you think and what edits you make in the comments.

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (you can also use freeze dried or frozen as long as there are no additives)
1 tablespoon fresh grated turmeric (you can also use it in powder form but I would cut to 2 tsp)
Juice from 1/3 of a lemon
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Honey (to taste)

This recipe is perfect for a tall widemouth Mason Jar (24 oz) but you can adjust to your needs. Add all ingredients to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Then strain out the ingredients from the liquid. Play around with it until you find a taste you like. You can split it up into smaller jars and keep in the fridge. This recipe lasts me about 4 days. I really love it and drink it most days of the week. I definitely won't take the credit for this. I actually adapted the recipe from a great baking blog, The Minimalist Baker.