Antibacterial Wipes

I am all for convenience.  I love convenience.  Convenience loves me.  We have a friendship, a bond.  It's sort of inseparable.  Well, it used to be.  I am having issues with ingredients and prices of "convenience".  Therefore, I have taken a pledge this year to do less convenience and more preparation.  One of my first endeavors is homemade antibacterial wipes. 

I love antibacterial wipes.  I use them in the bathroom to wipe the toilet seat, handles, doorknobs, etc.  Cool and I recently had the stomach flu and I credit my use of antibacterial wipes to the picklets not getting sick.  And thank goodness they didn't.  Oh yeah, thank goodness. 

A big problem with antibacterial wipes is the added junk you just don't need.  According to Clorox.com the ingredients in their wipes is:  water, substrate, isopropyl alcohol, alkul dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Alkyl polyglucoside, Fragrance, Preservative and Propylene glycol propyl ether.  I had to look at the definitions for 5 of the 9 ingredients.  And even though I know what fragrance and preservatives are, I don't know what are contained in those.  I had to find an alternative.

I have done some research on how to make "natural", low cost, effective cleaners. This one is simple, low cost and effective. Win-win-win!

You need:

• 1 roll of paper towels.  Any brand of paper towel will do BUT the thicker, more quality, brands hold up better to rubbing the surfaces.  I use the cheapest ones I can find because my children use wipes as their main cleaning supply.
• rubbing alcohol.  Rubbing or isopropyl alcohol is a natural disinfectant.  . Hospitals and doctors offices use it.  If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.  Rubbing alcohol is also one of the main ingredients in Clorox wipes

Your method:

• Cut the roll of paper towels in half.  This is a messy job as pieces of paper towel lint fall from the roll, but a serrated knife does the job.  I have heard using an electric knife works too, but I have no need to invest in something like that just to cut paper towels.
• Put one half of the paper towels into an air tight container.  I use the Cottonelle toilet paper holder they sent me free.  It matches my bathroom, is decorative and was FREE after all.  If the roll seems too big, I put the roll in Ziploc bag, pour the liquid over it and it and put it in the container.  I have not had a problem getting it to fit after they are wet.  Of course it depends on your brand.
• Pour rubbing alcohol over paper towels until wet.  The amount you need depends on the thickness of your paper towels.  I usually put too much in but I can squeeze out the excess if I need to.
• Take the paper tubing out of the center, discard and pull towels out from the center. 

That's it!  Easy peasy, right?

Now, the smell of straight rubbing alcohol can be is very strong and overwhelming.  I did some looking around and found that you can mix rubbing alcohol with essential oils.  So, I drip essential oil drops into my rubbing alcohol bottle, recap, gently tilt to each side and then pour over the towels.   :)  I picked orange and peppermint.  It was a nice improvement.

My cost for homemade antibacterial wipes:

paper towel roll      33¢             1/2 roll      16.5¢
rubbing alcohol      55¢             1/3 bottle   18.3¢
essential oil             $4.15         15 drops     51¢
container                 free            container    free

**Grand total:  It costs me less than a dollar to make a container of wipes (1/2 roll of towels, 65 wipes) for wiping down the bathroom.  And that could be even less if I didn't put the essential oil in.   For me, it is cost effective, easy to make and uses natural ingredients.  I love being frugal.  :)

I know this solution isn't for everyone but it is definitely one way for me to make a financial difference in our house!

**The costs in your area, the brand of towels you use and the kind of essential oils will vary the cost.  And be sure to add in the container if you need to buy one.**

Menu: January 3-January 9, 2011

Trying it again this year. So far so good. It is Monday and I am right on track! Yay me! I will post pictures and recipes each day if they turn out. If not, I won't.

Monday:
Breakfast casserole, fruit, milk
Ham and potatoes, green beans, fruit, corn bread, milk
Peanut butter sandwich, carrots/dip, clementine, water

Tuesday:
omelets, fresh fruit, toast, milk
BBQ chicken sandwich, veggies/dip, pretzels, fruit, milk
cheese, crackers, veggies/dip, raisins, water

Wednesday:
pancakes, ham, dunkin' egg, juice or milk
grilled cheese, soup, fruit, milk
pork chops and stuffing, corn bread/butter, milk

Thursday:
shipwreck, fruit, milk
chili dog casserole, veggies, dip, fruit milk
roast, carrots, potatoes, bread, salad, milk

Friday:
cereal, toast, juice
lunch meat sandwiches, veggies, pretzels, fruit
boys choice/cook

Saturday:
cereal, toast, juice
lunch meant sandwiches, veggies, pretzels, fruit
tacos, refried beans, rice, apple enchiladas, milk

Sunday:
coffee cake, milk, fruit
philly cheese steaks, potato wedges
fend for yourself/left overs

Snacks:
pretzels
apples
clementines
popcorn
cheese
crackers
peanuts
veggies/dip

Weekly Menu

Monday:
Breakfast:
· Bagles
· Yogurt
· Cantelope
· Milk
Lunch:
· Lunch meat sandwiches
· Pretzels
· Carrots and dip
· Milk
Supper:
· Dominoes baked sandwiches
Tuesday:
Breakfast:
· Biscuits and Gravy
· Roasted potatoes
· Scrambled eggs
· Juice
Lunch:
· Crackers
· Cheese
· Ham
· Milk
Supper:
· Spaghetti
· Garlic bread
· Fried veggies
· Milk
Dessert:
· Zeppole
Wednesday:
Breakfast:
· Cereal
· Toast
· Juice
Lunch:
· Leftover brats and hotdogs
· Leftover beans
· Macaroni salad
· Milk
Supper:
· Pizza Soup
· Garlic bread
· Milk
Thursday:
Breakfast:
· Banana muffins
· Milk
Lunch:
· PBJ
· Pretzels
· Carrots and dip
· Pop
Supper:
· Hamburger helper
· Veggie
· Pears
· Milk
Friday:
Breakfast:
· Breakfast burritos with eggs and potatos
· Milk
Lunch:
· Baked macaroni and Cheese with tuna and broccoli
· Carrots and dip
Supper:
· Hamburgers on grill
· Potato salad
· Scalloped corn
Dessert:
· Apple pie in a jar
· Cinnamon ice cream
Saturday:
Breakfast:
· Egg sandwiches
· Juice
Lunch:
· Junk food
Supper:
· Pork chops
· Apple sauce
· Salad
· Asparagus

Asian Turkey Meatball Wraps

This recipe was found during a search for Chinese foods. I really looked great, sounded great and probably would have been great had I not dried out the meatballs, substituted tomatoe for the red pepper (they are both red afterall) and actually had big carrots to shred instead of trying to shred baby carrots. I will definitely try this again only cook them in the microwave instead of broiling, using red pepper instead of tomato and buy a bag of shredded carrots.

Asian Turkey Meatball Wraps (my changes in red)

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root (used powder)

1 cup brown rice (used basmati)
1 cup water (followed directions on rice and adjusted accordingly)
16 large lettuce leaves (used iceberg, won't do that again)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced radishes

1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root (used powder)
1 teaspoon sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together ground turkey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 2 teaspoons ginger. Form into 16 meatballs and roll into ovals. Cover and refrigerate.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine rice with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Preheat the grill or broiler. Arrange rice, lettuce leaves, carrots, scallions, radishes and red peppers onto a serving platter or place each into a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, and sugar. Divide into 4 small dipping bowls.

Thread two meatballs onto each 10 inch skewer. Grill or broil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally to brown all sides. If broiling, line the broiler pan with aluminum foil and drain fat after 6 minutes.

To eat, place a leaf of lettuce onto the palm of your hand, spoon on a little rice, then a meat roll, and a few of the vegetables. Roll up and dip in dipping sauce or spoon sauce over.

Recipe-- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com

Picture--© Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

Almond Jello

I found this recipe while searching for different Chinese recipes to try during our unit. I didn't want stir fry and eggrolls all the time. This is definately an interesting twist on jello but is really quite good despite the odd look it has. Next time I will use more natural ingredients including agar-agar and evaporated cane juice following this recipe a bit more closly.

Almond Jello Recipe (my changes in red)

3 cups evaporated milk (not condensed)
1 cup sugar
2 packages unflavored gelatin
4 tsp amond extract, divided
1 (14 oz) fruit cocktail

Take 1 cup evaporated milk, the gelatin and sugar and disolve over low heat.
Add 2 tsp almond extract
Take remaining 2 cups milk and mix with remaining 2 tsp almond extract, stir and add into hot milk. (I let the milk get almost to the boiling point.)
Stir until well blended.
Pour into a bowl and cool in fridge 2-3 hours. (I had to put it in the freezer for about an hour to have it done in time for supper)
When firm, cut into cubes adding the fruit cocktail, including liquid.
Mix lightly and serve.

Recipe © 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Picture © 2009 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines