Paper towels are not only costly, but it’s very harmful to the environment. Most obviously, it takes up lots of space in landfills. Less obvious factors include deforestation, global warming & carbon emission from paper production facilities and energy usage. Very un-frugal and un-fabulous on all fronts.
If you’re looking for a hassle-free paper towel alternative, I really recommend the Skoy cloth! I first came across them on amazon.com purely by accident. These cloths and I are now very good friends. Here are some highlights of the Skoy Cloth:
Biodegradable and compost-able
Super absorbent yet dries fast
Easy to sanitize in the microwave or dishwasher
Can be used anywhere, all over the house!
Very affordable — around $6 to $7 for a pack of 4
Lasts for months! (The one pictured below is at least 6 months old.)
My well-worn Skoy cloth still does a pretty good job after 6 months of use.
I use my Skoy cloth to clean all surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen, and also use it on mirrors with good results. In a pinch, I have even used it to clean areas of the kitchen or bathroom floor if I don’t have time to deep clean. The best part is, magically, the Skoy cloth stays very clean. I’ve used it to sop up spilled red wine, ketchup, and pasta sauce. It rinses clean. After many months of use, all my Skoy cloths are white and bright.
I’ve tried limiting paper towels in the past. I’ve tried those checkered blue-and-white reusable towels as well as a variety of sponges. However, it always gave me a feeling of germi-ness. There is something eerie and disgusting about a wet sponge or towel that takes forever to dry. It’s a bacterial breeding ground! I’ve also tried using wash cloths. They just aren’t sanitary enough and not absorbent enough to be a paper towel replacement.
Luckily for me and my Skoy cloth, it dries very quickly. I give it a quick rinse under warm water and leave it near the sink. Once dry, I throw it under the sink. And each time I run the dishwasher, I throw my kitchen Skoy cloths in. The bathroom cloths go into my washing machine with my towels. So easy!
These days, I still use some paper towels. I would say that we go through about 1 roll every 2 months or so. Not bad, considering it used to be about 1 every other week! Beyond the cost savings, it just makes sense to use the Skoy cloth. It’s the perfect eco-friendly paper towel alternative so you feel good while using too!
Where to buy: They carry it at the Container Store as well, but there aren’t any of those in my area. I ended up buying mine on amazon.com.
It’s been at least 2 weeks now since I set up this blog, made the logo, and published it on the internet. And haven’t written one post, until now. I wanted to think long and hard about what my first post should be like. As a food lover but not quite hipster enough of a foodie to be an expert, I wanted a modest first post that was related to the kitchen, since I spend a lot of time there when I’m not at work. Tonight, as I was preparing a basic lentil loaf, is when I realized that I should go ahead and write my first post.
A million years ago when I was 24, I lived in a 400 square foot apartment above a residential garage in the suburbs of beautiful New Hope, PA. It was the first time on my own, paying rent and really supporting myself. I was alone, but not lonely. I felt independent and strong with my 6 month old puppy, Bennington, by my side. But I wasn’t quite empowered in life as I had roughly $5 to my name and perhaps 5 days to my next paycheck at my new job.
A girl’s gotta eat, right? I resorted to whatever was in my mini food pantry — a few canned items, some rice, and a small bag of Goya green lentil beans. I wasn’t much of a cook, so I looked up a recipe online. I had to improvise because I didn’t have all the ingredients in the recipe or even a loaf pan, to be honest. 90 minutes later, I had my first lentil loaf. It was terrible. Yet, it was satisfying because I had made it with my own two hands and less than $1.50 in ingredients.
Today’s lentil loaf was pretty good — moist with great flavors from the herbs that I used. Nothing like my first attempt, to say the least. Still, it reminded me of my humble beginnings and really, my journey to become frugal and fabulous started right there, in my little kitchenette in New Hope. I was hungry & broke but refused to compromise my independence. In that dire moment, I needed to make it work and really put my limited budget and (very limited) kitchen experience to the test.
Over the years since my first lentil loaf attempt, I’ve made some bad ones and some good ones. Some were so dry that I had to throw it away, while others were so sopping wet that it was more like lentil soup. Today’s lentil loaf was filled with experiences from the past, both good and bad, to produce a decent loaf to which my boyfriend, Brandon, gave a thumbs up.
So here’s to humble beginnings. Thanks for taking this journey with me! While this is definitely better than my first lentil loaf, some things never change… I spent about $2 on this lentil loaf with the help of some ingredients I had leftover from previous nights. Enjoy!
Humble Beginnings Lentil Loaf
Print Recipe
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Humble Beginnings Lentil Loaf
Print Recipe
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Ingredients
1 3/4cupsbrown lentils
2cupscooked brown rice
4cupsvegetable broth or water
1largewhite onion, chopped(or 2 smalls)
2clovesgarlic, minced or grated
1tbspvegetable or olive oil
1/2cup + 2 tbsppasta sauce, your choice(or ketchup, if preferred)
Bring water or vegetable broth to a boil. Add lentils and simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly, then coarsely mash with a large spoon or potato masher. Don't over-mash - you want to keep some of the texture.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook till lightly brown, about 1 minute. Then add in chopped onions and cook about 4 minutes until tender. Add salt & pepper if desired.
Combine brown rice, mashed lentils, onion/garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of pasta sauce. Add in sage and all dry seasonings. Mix all ingredients very well until thoroughly combined.
Lightly coat a 5x9 loaf pan with cooking spray (or lightly grease with your choice of oil or shortening). Spoon in the lentil & rice mixture, making sure to press it in to bring the mixture together and seal any cracks. Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed in the loaf pan.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta sauce over the top of the lentil loaf, just enough to thinly coat the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered. Allow loaf to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with extra sauce or serve on the side, if desired.
Recipe Notes
The nicest thing about this recipe is that you can really play around with the flavor profiles, depending on what you like. Use beef broth instead of veggie broth for a meatier flavor, and replace the pasta sauce with ketchup and mustard to make it more like a traditional meatloaf. If you don't like ketchup or pasta sauce, you can use gravy instead. I have also used an onion soup mix in place of vegetable broth in the past.
I strongly advise using broth instead of water to cook your lentils because it adds depth and flavor to the finished product. If you're out of broth and want to use water, you can season the water with salt and other seasonings to give your lentils some flavor.
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Humble Beginnings Lentil Loaf
Print Recipe
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Ingredients
1 3/4cupsbrown lentils
2cupscooked brown rice
4cupsvegetable broth or water
1largewhite onion, chopped(or 2 smalls)
2clovesgarlic, minced or grated
1tbspvegetable or olive oil
1/2cup + 2 tbsppasta sauce, your choice(or ketchup, if preferred)
Bring water or vegetable broth to a boil. Add lentils and simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly, then coarsely mash with a large spoon or potato masher. Don't over-mash - you want to keep some of the texture.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook till lightly brown, about 1 minute. Then add in chopped onions and cook about 4 minutes until tender. Add salt & pepper if desired.
Combine brown rice, mashed lentils, onion/garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of pasta sauce. Add in sage and all dry seasonings. Mix all ingredients very well until thoroughly combined.
Lightly coat a 5x9 loaf pan with cooking spray (or lightly grease with your choice of oil or shortening). Spoon in the lentil & rice mixture, making sure to press it in to bring the mixture together and seal any cracks. Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed in the loaf pan.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta sauce over the top of the lentil loaf, just enough to thinly coat the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered. Allow loaf to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with extra sauce or serve on the side, if desired.
Recipe Notes
The nicest thing about this recipe is that you can really play around with the flavor profiles, depending on what you like. Use beef broth instead of veggie broth for a meatier flavor, and replace the pasta sauce with ketchup and mustard to make it more like a traditional meatloaf. If you don't like ketchup or pasta sauce, you can use gravy instead. I have also used an onion soup mix in place of vegetable broth in the past.
I strongly advise using broth instead of water to cook your lentils because it adds depth and flavor to the finished product. If you're out of broth and want to use water, you can season the water with salt and other seasonings to give your lentils some flavor.
