Useful Tips To Prevent Food Waste

 No matter if you are into vegan food, have a certain diet, or eat all types of food, many households around the world waste too much food. It is common for an average household to throw away food each week, which is wasting a lot of money. Plus, it is harmful to the environment. 

To prevent food waste in your household, here are some tips.

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Buy ingredients that everyone will eat

If you have a partner or children or live with a friend, it is important to buy ingredients that everyone will eat. Otherwise, one person might find it difficult to consume one thing alone before it expires. 

For instance, if your family loves pizza then making pizza sticks is a snack that your family will love. Everyone can enjoy tasty tomatoey and cheesy dough. Hence, making such a simple snack to enjoy while watching movies or playing games will ensure that you will avoid wasting food as everyone will enjoy the same ingredients. 

Make your own sauces from leftover ingredients

Whacking leftover ingredients that are about to expire into a food blender could help you make an incredibly tasty sauce. Experimenting with flavors might help you to discover a new favorite. 

It is simple to make homemade sauces. All you will need alongside the ingredients is some oil to make it blend into a smooth consistency. 

Likewise, it could mean that you save costs when shopping as you can continue making sauces instead of buying ready-made ones. 

Plan ahead

Wasting food each week simply comes from a lack of planning. If you plan your meals for the week before you shop, then you will only buy what you need and know you will use it.

Planning ahead means that you can utilize all ingredients in your fridge and cupboards so that nothing gets thrown in the bin. 

Get creative

Should you still have some food left after each week, then it is time to get creative. You don’t always need to cook the same meals or what you have planned. If you have food leftover that is soon to expire, then get creative and make something new. 

You might have random ingredients leftover but you will be surprised what you can make with some ingredients. 

You can type the ingredients into the internet and find new recipes so that you can utilize the rest of your food. 

Organize your kitchen

Should you have a messy kitchen or lack an order as to which you organize your food, then it can help to organize your kitchen. If everything has a dedicated space, then you will know where to look for ingredients that could be going off. 

Likewise, you will be able to see everything that can be used instead of pushing things to the back of the cupboards or the fridge. Staying organized will make sure that everything has a visible space in your kitchen so that no ingredients get forgotten about and go out of date. 

5 Tips for Getting Your Child to Enjoy Veggies

 There’s the common stereotype that children utterly hate vegetables. There are plenty of cartoons in the day that even reflect this sentiment while still pushing for kids to eat them. Every teenager and adult knows the importance of vegetables. Veggies are packed with vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and so much more and all of these help the immune system while preventing things such as diseases or cancers. But telling a child this doesn’t matter, because children don’t exactly think about the future much. So, what can be done? How can you get your child to enjoy vegetables? These are a few ways to achieve that.

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Ask them what makes them dislike veggies

Simple enough, right? Chances are, there’s a reason why they don’t like eating them. It could be the taste, and this is very valid. While it’s true children are incredibly picky eaters it’s important to look into ways to expand their palette while at the same time catering to their tastebuds. Vegetables are known for not tasting the best unless they’re cooked or seasoned in a proper way. So why not try experimenting to see what your child likes? There are plenty of benefits of cooking your own meals and cooking per taste is one of them.

Set a good example

Children tend to copy what their parents do, so if you eat your veggies, your children will be far more inclined to eat theirs. If children see that their parents are enjoying all of these healthy foods it's going to let them know that it’s normal and they’re going to copy what their parents are doing. So eat more veggies and serve them for your meals, as this could be a perfect way to get the whole family on board for eating healthy.

Get your child to cook with you

As mentioned earlier, you need to know what they dislike about veggies. But getting them to see how you cook and letting them help is going to push them to feel proud of what they made and they’re going to more than likely choose to eat what they helped make. So why not look into some easy recipes you and your little one can make together? A great example would be the sesame chicken recipe or even a casserole.

Praise them

Every time your little one eats veggies, just praise them for it. They’ll start associating eating veggies with positive emotion and this can be one of the best ways to get them feeling proud and involved. But you should tell them exactly what they did so they know they’re getting praised for eating the veggies and not anything else. It’s better to be positive and have positive reinforcements for your child rather than anything negative.

Just keep on trying

While it’s never easy to get a child to follow directions, the best thing you can do is to keep on trying. Just keep pushing for them to eat healthily, but also don’t forget that this is something that will require a lot of patience too. 

What is the Impact of Weather on Pest Populations and How To Avoid Them?

If you've ever wondered why pest populations seem to magically grow just in the nick of time for the hottest, coldest, wettest, or driest days (at least from a homeowner's perspective), your suspicions are correct — weather does impact pests. But this doesn't mean you should panic when it looks like a steamy summer is headed your way or that an impending snowstorm means your houseplants will be doomed. 

Weather plays an interesting role in pest population. If you are a grower, you would be interested to know how weather affects pest population on your crops. You see, weather affects their behavior in many ways. In fact, knowing how weather affects the way pests behave is helpful for the effectiveness of pest control strategies. Let's look at it in detail.

How Does Cold Weather Affect Pests?

Bugs like cockroaches, flies, termites, and beetles often go into hiding during the winter months to escape the cold. During this time, they may hibernate in walls or underground where it's warmer. However, although many bugs disappear during the winter months, that doesn't mean you will never see them again. In fact, many of these pests come back in full force once spring arrives. This is because they have a very short life cycle — eggs hatch quickly, and within 30 days, a bug can go through its entire life cycle and produce more eggs. So even if your home is free of roaches in January, you might notice an infestation by March if you don't take steps to eliminate them during their downtime.

Here are some examples of overwintering methods for common pests:

• Ants burrow underground where it is warmer.

• Termites enter a form of hibernation inside their colonies.

• Cockroaches find shelter in the walls of homes and buildings.

• Mosquitoes lay eggs that can survive in water for up to five years.

How Does Warm Weather Affect Pests?

The warmer weather and longer days encourage more pests to come out of hiding. This is because they are able to find more food at this time. Pests will be looking for a place to hide, as well as food and water. They can find all of that in your home. Although you might not be seeing a lot of pests right now, this will change as the weather becomes warmer.

Not only are there more pests coming out during the summer, but they also breed more during this time. You definitely do not want to have a few pests growing into an infestation over the course of a month or two. You need to know what you're dealing with so that you can take action now before it gets worse.

• According to the experts at Terminix pest control, the best way to stop pests from taking over your home is through professional service.

• An exterminator can come out to your home and inspect the property, looking for signs of pests in areas that you might not think to look in yourself. 

• They can then determine what kind of action needs to be taken regarding pest control treatments and how often they need to be performed throughout the year.

How Does Raining Season or Monsoon Affect Pest?

Monsoon is a time when the pest population is at its peak. The reason is that monsoon brings the much-needed moisture and humidity to the environment, which helps these pests to thrive and multiply.

The pest population is likely to increase during the rainy season because of the following things:

• Moisture

Rainwater accumulates in small corners, cracks, and crevices on your property. This creates a humid environment that attracts and supports pests. The small puddles formed can also become breeding spots for mosquitoes and other insects. Also, drainage water can be a source of nutrients for insects, which makes it easier for them to breed and multiply.

• Temperature changes

Changes in temperature can affect insect behavior and their reproductive cycles. During monsoon, the temperature drops, and this creates an ideal environment for pests to thrive in your home or office.

Here are some tips to control pests during monsoon season:

• Use mosquito repellants and make sure they contain DEET or Picaridin

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and full pants when outdoors

• Fix leaking faucets and pipes indoors, as this creates a favorable condition for mosquitoes to breed

• Make sure that your home is clean and dry so that the germs do not spread

• Use fly repellant in your kitchen

• Keep trash cans covered and clean regularly

• Apply bed bug repellant on mattresses so that they do not invade your bedroom

Final Words

Weather does affect pest population growth and development. In fact, it is one of the most important factors that determine how much damage pests can cause. Predicting weather and its effects on the growth of pests is not an easy task, and it is not an exact science either. But, there are certain ways how you can do pest control throughout the year, and it is a challenge indeed, but can be done.  

The Benefits of Cooking Your Own Meals

 Cooking your meals is one of the best things you can do for your health. When you cook your food, you know exactly what is going into it – and that means you can avoid unhealthy additives and preservatives. Cooking your food is also a great way to save money. The following blog will discuss the many benefits of cooking your meals!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

1) It Is A Great Way To Control Your Calorie Intake

When you cook your meals, you are in complete control of the ingredients and the portion sizes. This means that you can easily avoid consuming too many calories – something that is essential if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Cooking your food also allows you to customize your meals according to your dietary needs and preferences. For example, if you follow a gluten-free diet, you can easily prepare gluten-free meals at home.

2) It Helps You Eat More Nutritious Meals

Cooking your own meals is a great way to ensure that you are eating nutritious, balanced meals. When you cook at home, you have complete control over the ingredients and can choose to include plenty of healthy vegetables and lean protein sources in your diet.

This is in contrast to eating out, where it can be challenging to find healthy options that fit within your calorie and dietary restrictions. In fact, recent studies have shown that people who cook their meals tend to eat healthier overall than those who do not.

Cooking your food also means avoiding unhealthy additives and preservatives, which are often found in processed foods. These additives can negatively affect your health, including causing weight gain and contributing to chronic diseases.

3) It Saves You Money

One of the best things about cooking your meals is that it can save you a lot of money. When you cook at home, you can buy ingredients in bulk and prepare large meals which will last for several days. This is in contrast to eating out, where you will likely spend a lot more money on individual meals.

In addition, cooking your food means avoiding buying expensive processed foods or take-out meals. By cooking your own food, you can easily save hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars each year.

4) It Is Fun And Rewarding

Cooking your meals can be a fun and rewarding experience. When you cook a meal from scratch, you know that you have put in the hard work and effort to create something delicious. This feeling of accomplishment cannot be matched by simply heating a frozen dinner or ordering a take-out meal.

Cooking your food also allows you to experiment with new recipes, like a garlic confit recipe, and culinary techniques. This can be a great way to expand your culinary knowledge and learn new skills.

In conclusion, cooking your meals is one of the best things you can do for your health, wallet, and taste buds! By taking control of your food preparation, you can ensure that you are eating nutritious, delicious, and affordable meals. So what are you waiting for? Start cooking!

Amazing Side Gigs Your Kids Can Help With

Are you looking for a fun way to bring in just a little extra money, without sacrificing time with the kids? Then why not let them help! Kids are great at creativity, so let them bring their imaginations along for the ride, and maybe teach them a thing or two about running a small business along the way. Take a peek at some of these little side gigs you can do now and again with the kids to help pad your rainy day fund. 

Design Shirts for People of All Ages

This is a great craft idea for you and the kids to start whenever the mood strikes you. You can go online or even to a local store and look through the many colors of men’s crew neck shirts, or you can look for ones for women, kids, or even babies. Once you find the shirts you want as your base, decide how you want to make them unique. Want iron-on transfers? Then you need some vinyl and an iron. Looking for tie-dye creations? Then pick up a tie-dye kit. You can use permanent markers, paint, or whatever ideas your kids and you come up with! Then, bring the shirts home, design them, and the ones you don’t decide to keep can get sold off to cover the costs of your day. 

Bake and Sell Cookies

This is a great idea for kids to help with, as they can either help with the baking and decorating, or they can sell them on the front porch at a table you set up. Be sure to get some chalkboard paint to make signs for the cookies, so customers know what they are getting. Then, when summer rolls around, you can turn this into a summertime cookie stand! Just be sure to keep the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s time to sell them or transport them.

Buy Items from the Store for People Who Want Delivery

This isn’t a super-fun job, but it’s easy to do, kids can run and grab what you need, plus, it can bring in some extra cash depending on how much you decide to charge. Choose items that are easy to transport, so you don’t have to worry about them breaking while they are in your car. Then, advertise your services and get ready for orders! You can even use this as a starting point for making your own delivery service if you want to go the extra mile.

Create Art and Sell It

Want something fun and creative that kids can enjoy, too? Then think about making some art! You can make jewelry, clay projects, artwork you hang on the wall, or even digital art. Then, sell your creations online or at a local craft fair. There are so many different ways you can go with this, and kids can help with the ideas and the creation process.

 

Make Your Own Candles

If you enjoy candles, then why not make your own? This is a fun craft for anyone to try out, as it only requires some time and not too much in the way of supplies. Just make sure you help the kids with this one, as it does involve some heat.All you need to do is melt down wax and add essential oils or scents of your choice. Then when it’s cooled off enough to handle, pour it into molds that have been made ahead of time. Let them cool off and then let the kids carefully pop them out and let them sit until they are completely hard! Then sell them online or at a local fair if you want extra cash!

Wash Cars

This is another easy job that families can do during their free time if they want extra cash. Just be sure to always wear your rubber gloves while doing this job so that you don’t get any chemicals or dirt on your hands. Then wash and dry the cars according to how customers want theirs done—some may want just a wash while others may want waxed—all while charging what you want per car! This is especially good if there aren’t other car washes anywhere around you and someone wants their car cleaned up right away!

The next time you go on vacation or even just have some extra time off work, why not try your hand at one of these side gigs? It’s a great way for you and your kids to spend extra time together without sacrificing too much of your hard-earned money.